St Martin’s Island: Tourist areas to be restricted to 4 kilometres

In a bid to restore its lost biodiversity under pressure from excessive tourism, the government plans to introduce controlled tourism on St Martin’s Island, the country’s only coral island. A draft master plan prepared for the conservation of St Martin’s proposes restricting tourist movement to four kilometres area on the island.

Before the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change introduced limits on visitor numbers in 2025, as many as 7,193 tourists used to stay overnight on the island. According to the master plan, this figure was double St Martin’s carrying capacity. As a result, coral extraction, pollution from boats and waste along the beaches increased, putting the coral reefs at risk of extinction.

A 2020 study by Dhaka University researchers Professor Md Kawser Ahmed of the Department of Oceanography, lecturer Md Yousuf Gazi of the Department of Geology, and former oceanography student Tahrima Jannat, found that over a 38-year period from 1980 to 2018, the number of coral species on St Martin’s fell from 141 to just 40.

Another research article published in the International Ocean Science Journal in 2020 warned that the island could become completely empty of coral by 2045.

As part of conservation efforts, the master plan divides the island’s eight square kilometres area into four zones. The first zone, designated as the ‘general use area’, will accommodate all hotels and resorts relocated from the island’s three other zones. Tourists will stay overnight only in this zone. To maintain ecological balance, the daily number of tourists here will be capped at 900.

Zone 1 will consist of seven local settlements. While it will remain open to tourists, infrastructure and general economic activities, the plan proposes banning vehicles on the beach, night-time lighting, coral extraction and pollution.

Zone 2 will be a controlled resource area, acting as a buffer to protect the natural diversity and cultural heritage of the island’s sensitive southern region. Tourism infrastructure and the use of harmful agricultural chemicals will be prohibited here, along with beach fires and cooking.

Zone 3 will be declared a sustainable management area, where biodiversity conservation will be given the highest priority. Human settlement, infrastructure development and any activity that damages the natural environment will be banned. Mangroves, lagoons and turtle breeding grounds in this zone will come under special protection.

Zone 4 will include part of Chhera Dwip. Public access in that zone will be restricted to authorised individuals only. Fishing, pollution and disturbance of wildlife will be prohibited within one kilometre of this zone.

The master plan suggests that the number of tourists may be increased every five years, depending on an overall assessment of the island’s environmental condition.

Senior researcher HM Nurul Islam of the Center for Environmental and Geographic Information Services (CEGIS), who was involved in drafting the plan, told Prothom Alo that zoning has been introduced to facilitate better management of St Martin’s island.

He added that all hotels and resorts will be concentrated in Zone 1, with existing facilities in other zones relocated there. If necessary, the government will compensate affected hotel and resort owners.

HM Nurul Islam explained that tourists will be allowed to visit the other three zones during the day, but overnight stays will be permitted only in Zone 1. In the case of Zone 4, which includes Chera Dwip, tourists will be able to view the island from a distance of 500 to 1,000 metres, but landing there will not be allowed.

The master plan has a 10-year timeframe. Implementation will take place over the first five years at an estimated cost of Tk 550 million (55 crore), followed by five years of monitoring and management.

According to the draft master plan, 1,445 families live on St Martin’s Island, with a total population of 9,885. The average household size is 6.84, and 44 per cent of the population is aged between 19 and 45.

The community relies on two main sources of income, tourism and fishing. Of total household income, 61 per cent comes from fishing and 31 per cent from tourism. The average monthly income is Tk 6,448, while 70 per cent of the island’s residents live below the poverty line.

Restrictions on tourism and fishing are expected to affect livelihoods of these families. The tourism season runs from October to March, and there are currently 109 hotels and resorts on the island.

When asked, Environment, Forest and Climate Change Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan told Prothom Alo that there is no alternative to controlled tourism if St Martin’s is to be protected. Tourism, she said, must be centred on local communities.

She added that the fisheries and agriculture ministries would undertake projects to create alternative employment opportunities. Meanwhile, a project has already been undertaken using Bangladesh’s own climate fund.

The master plan notes that over the past 18 years, green covered areas on St Martin’s has declined by 23.8 per cent due to increased hotel and resort construction, while agricultural land has shrunk by 7.8 per cent.

In 2005, tourism infrastructure covered 45.26 hectares while, by 2023 this had expanded to 86.13 hectares. During the same period the mangrove forests declined by three per cent. Gradual conversion of farmland is creating significant environmental challenges, and the master plan stresses the need for sustainable land management to halt this trend.

The 2020 Dhaka University study also found that tree-covered areas on the island decreased from 4.5 square kilometres in 1980 to just three square kilometres in 2018.

Syeda Rizwana Hasan said, “Land management on St Martin’s must be brought under strict control, with district authorities clearly specifying the purpose of land transfers. Without this, she warned, outsiders could buy land and exert undue influence over local residents.”

Professor Mohammad Muslem Uddin of the Department of Oceanography at Chittagong University told Prothom Alo that master plans are developed after careful consideration to achieve long-term outcomes.

He noted that international conventions and UN guidelines exist for conserving ecologically critical areas like the St Martin’s island, and many countries prioritise the protection of such zones.

Citing India’s Lakshadweep islands as an example, where tourism is banned to ensure maximum conservation, he said protecting St Martin’s would require involving local communities in all planning efforts. Their participation, he added, would make it easier to achieve the master plan’s intended goals.