Environmental and socioeconomic study on saint martin, moheshkhali and cox's bazar by abu khairul ba by Abu Khairul Bashar

Submitted By Abu Khairul Bashar Exam Roll: 121985 Reg. No: 32806 Session 2011-12

Submitted To Dr. Mohammad Amir Hossain Bhuiyan Associate Professor And Mohammad Emadul Huda Assistant Professor Department of Environmental Sciences Jahangirnagar University, Savar, Dhaka-1342

The goals of the Bachelor of Environmental Science Degree are to: Offer a rigorous science-based preparation for careers in environmental science; Prepare students for graduate studies in environmental science. Environmental Sciences is a kind of subject where only theoretical lessons cannot provide hundred percent of knowledge. The earth is a mysterious planet and to gain knowledge about the earth, visual observation through tour is must. Environmental science is the scientific investigation of human interactions with natural systems. The department of environmental sciences of Jahangirnagar University runs a course on field work as an academic study course each year. For the students of Environmental Sciences, field work is a part and parcel of academic study. It plays a very significant role in understanding complicated environmental concepts and their impact on biodiversity and sustainability. To evaluate the natural and artificial processes of the study areas and finding it’s role on environment. As a student of 2nd year of environmental sciences of Jahangirnagar University in the session 2011-2012 carried out a field work for 5 days from 5th February 2014 to 9th February 2014 in Saint Martin, Maheshkhali and Cox’s bazar. St. Martin’s Island the only coral reef of Bangladesh, has enormous geological and biological resources to identify, understand and need to protect from anthropogenic and non-anthropogenic threats. As an ecologically critical area (ECA), it needs more study to gather knowledge about these beautiful sites. Heavy minerals along the coastline are an excellent source of so called ‘Black Gold’ of Bangladesh. Maheshkhali is important for the salt farming. The area is important from the geological and economical point of view. Cox's Bazar is a seaside town, a fishing port and district headquarters in Bangladesh. It is known for its wide and long sandy beach, which is considered by many as the world's longest natural sandy sea beach. 1

First of all, I would like to pay my great thanks to almighty Allah for giving me a chance to go in such an instructive field work with my friends and teachers. I would like to pay my profound gratitude to the authority of the department of environmental sciences of Jahangirnagar University for arranging the fieldwork program and making necessary arrangements. I would like to express my best regards to my honorable teacher Dr. Mohammad Amir Hossain Bhuiyan, Associate Professor, Department of Environmental Sciences, Jahangirnagar University for his scholarly guidance, sincere inspiration and generous support. I want to give special and heartiest thanks and also acknowledge the excellent support from my honorable teacher Mohammad Emadul Huda, Assistant Professor, Department of Environmental Sciences, Jahangirnagar, University. And, thanks to Mr. Ataur Rahman (Office Assistance) of the Department of Environmental Sciences. I also want to give heartiest thanks are extended to our seniorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Finally heartiest thanks are extended to all of my classmates for their friendly and Co-operative behaviour in the tour to complete the task successfully.

List of Figure

List of Tables

ii.

List of Graphs

iii.

1.1 Background of the Study Tour

1.2 Study Area Selection

1.3 Aim and Objectives

1.4 Limitations

2.1 Methodology

2.2 Data Collection and Data Sources

2.2.1 Primary Data Sources

2.2.2 Secondary Data Sources

2.3 Supporting Instruments

3.1 Coastal Morphology: Beach and Island

3.2 Physiography of Staint Martin's Island

3.3 Geological Structure of Saint Martin

3.4 Cox’s Bazar

3.4.1 Physical Phenomena of Cox’s Bazar Sea Beach

3.4.2 Economic Activities of Cox’s Bazar Sea Beach

3.4.3 Threats for Cox’s Bazar Sea Beach

3.5 Maheskhali Island

3.5.1 Forest resources of Maheskhali Island

3.5.2 Economic Activities of Maheshkhali Island

4.1 Ecological Importance Coral Reefs

4.1.1 Ecology and marine life seriously Imperiled

4.1.2 Saint Martinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s island under Critical Stresses

4.2 Impact of Tourism on Biodiversity

4.2.1 Problems Related to Tourism

4.2.2 Tourism Management into Biodiversity Conservation

4.3 Impact of Salt Farming

5.1 Flora of Saint Martin Island

5.2 Fauna of Saint Martin Island

6.1 Conclusion

6.2 Recommendation

51 54

Figure No

Page No 03 04 05 14 15 15 16 18 21 24 29 31 34 40 41 42 43 44 44 45 46 46

Figure1.1 Figure1.2 Figure1.3 Figure3.1 Figure3.2 Figure3.3 Figure3.4 Figure3.5 Figure3.6 Figure3.7 Figure4.1 Figure4.2 Figure4.3 Figure5.1 Figure5.2 Figure5.3 Figure5.4 Figure5.5 Figure5.6 Figure5.7 Figure5.8 Figure5.9

Table No-8.1 Table No-8.2 Table No-8.3

54 55 55

Graph No-2.1 Graph No-3.1 Graph No-3.2 Graph No-3.3 Graph No-3.4

09 19 20 20 25

01 01

Due to the Environmental significance of Saint Martin, Moheshkhali, Cox’s Bazar &Teknaf, we have visited this area for our field tour this year. St. Martin's, a small continental island in the Bay of Bengal, is located on the southernmost tip of Bangladesh separated from the mainland by a channel which is about 9 km wide. The distance between the island and Teknaf is about 34 km. The north portion of the island is called “Cheradia Dwip” because during high tide, this portion of the island is separated from the other and also considered as the last southern landmark of Bangladesh. In Bangladesh, corals are found only on the Narikel Jinjira (St. Martin's Island). It lies roughly between 20° 34'N - 20° 38.8'N and 92°18' - 92°20.8'E Moheshkhali is a wonderful island in the Bay of Bengal in the north-western side of Cox’s Bazar. It is another attraction for the tourists who go to Cox’s Bazaar. Moheshkhali Island is surrounded with forested hills and some mangrove trees alongside the coastal beach. Its total area is 262 square kilometers. Through the center of the island and along the eastern coastline rises, a range of low hills, but the coast to the north and west is a low-lying treat, environed by mangrove jungle. There are a Buddhist temple and a shrine of Adinath on the hill. Moheshkhali is abeautiful place for visit. Many tourist come visit Moheshkhali every year. Cox's Bazar is a seaside town, a fishing port and district headquarters in Bangladesh. It is known for its wide and long sandy beach, which is considered by many as the world's longest natural sandy sea beach. The beach in Cox's Bazar is an unbroken 125 kilometers (78 mi) sandy sea beach with a gentle slope. It is located 152 kilometers (94 mi) south of the industrial port of Chittagong..Today, Cox's Bazar is one of the most-visited tourist destinations in Bangladesh. It has yet to become a major international tourist destination, and has no international hotel chains because of the lack of publicity and transportation. Teknaf, a place situated by the side of Naf river, is the southernmost part of mainland Bangladesh. This also marks the end point of Cox's Bazar beach. Tourists usually come here to have a river cruise along beautiful Naf river,which flows between Bangladesh and Myanmar.

Study area selection is a very important fact for a study tour. Because, which kind of knowledge we want to learn, fully depends on the site of the tour. So I would like to thank our honorable teachers because before starting our tour they selected our tour site. Our main site was Cox’s Bazar district & adjacent area. The sites of this tour were    

Saint Martin Chera Deep Moheshkhali Cox’s Bazar Teknaf

St. Martin's Island is a small island in the northeast part of the Bay of Bengal, in the southernmost part of Bangladesh. Geographically, it is divided into three parts. The main shoreline habitats are sandy beaches and dunes and scattered rocks and coral boulders. Some boulders are also found on the interior into the island. The shallow water marine habitats include, rocky and sandy intertidal, intertidal rock pools, off shore lagoons, rocky and sandy sub tidal and offshore soft bottom habitats. It is said that in 1926, the District Collector of the British government Mr. Martin brought this island under settlement record following which the island was named “St. Martin's Island”.

Figure-1.1: Map of Saint Martin Island

Moheshkhali Island covers an area of approximately two hundred and sixty-eight square kilometers, and is blanketed in breathtaking mangrove jungles, spectacular ranges of hills and striking landscapes, with some hills standing at just over three hundred meters. It is these rare natural qualities that lure visitors to the island. The island has been the subject of great debates between conservationists and government officials, in regard to protecting Moheshkhali against deforestation and harm to the wildlife and vegetation. Some of the main attractions on Moheshkhali are the picturesque and peaceful beaches. The Shrine of Adinath, which is dedicated to Shiva, the quaint Buddhist temple and the pagoda are also stunning attractions to visit on the island. The recent completion of the Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Bir Uttam Bridge has connected the island to the mainland, but traveling to Moheshkhali by boat is recommended, as it is terrific way to catch precious memories on film and add another adventure to your exploration of Bangladesh. The two lane bridge has made life much easier for the islanders, allowing them to travel and move goods. They are known for the production of salt, battle leaf and shrimp. The bridge is three hundred and forty-seven meters in length and just over seven meters wide.

Figure1.2: Map of Moheshkhali Upazila

Cox's Bazar is a town, a fishing port and district headquarters in Bangladesh. It is known for its wide sandy beach which is the world's longest natural sandy sea beach. The modern Cox's Bazar derives its name from Captain Cox (died 1799), an officer serving in British India. In the 18th century, an officer of British East India Company, Captain Hiram Cox was appointed as the Superintendent of Palongkee outpost after Warren Hastings became the Governor of Bengal. Captain Cox was specially mobilised to deal with a century long conflict between Arakan refugees and local Rakhains. A premature death took Captain Cox in 1799 before he could finish his work. But the work he had done earned him a place in the hearts of the locals and to commemorate his role in rehabilitation work a market was established and named after him as Cox's Bazaar ("Cox's Market"). Although Cox's Bazar is one of the most visited tourist destinations in Bangladesh, it has yet to become a major international tourist destination, due to lack of publicity.

Figure-1.3: Map of Coxâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bazar District

Behind any work, there have must some aim & objective. With the great deal of importance the main aim of this study tour is to observe the environmental condition of Cox’s Bazar district & adjacent areas and their impact on surrounding area. We must also keep into consideration that what is the thinking & idea of local people about their environment. In Saint Martin, Cheradeep, Moheshkhali, Cox’s Bazar and Teknaf, area; our main objectives  The geological of Geological structure observation of the study areas  Geomorphological change detection  Ecological observation (deforestation, types of plants and biodiversity)  The natural processes occurred in the island  Find a suitable way to promote eco-tourism in the Saint Martin’s island and Cheradeep  Environmental impact assessment  Salt cultivation process and their impacts on human life and cultivation land  Observation of Flora and Fauna of study areas  The importance of corals and hazards related to the lacking of corals  Physical, socio economic and cultural aspect of the study areas  To see the marine coastal mangrove forest in the coastal belt  Soil and water condition (constituents of soil, elemental analysis)  To know and familiar with the Natural resources  To know the Lifestyle of the people of coastal Areas.

The data sources of the study tour were basically based on secondary data sources. That’s why in this tour there were some limitations Time was limited, so it was difficult to collect more information within these short time.  Limitation of budget  Different people gave different information so we were confused about actual information.  We were 30 students, so it was difficult to move with this he number of people.

02 02

Methodology is the systematic, theoretical analysis of the methods applied to a field of study, or the theoretical analysis of the body of methods and principles associated with a branch of knowledge. It, typically, encompasses concepts such as paradigm, theoretical model, phases and quantitative or qualitative techniques. A methodology does not set out to provide solutions but offers the theoretical underpinning for understanding which method, set of methods or so called â&#x20AC;&#x153;best practicesâ&#x20AC;? can be applied to a specific case. Methodology does not describe specific methods, even though much attention is given to the nature and kinds of processes to be followed in a particular procedure or in attaining an objective. When proper to a study of methodology, such processes constitute a constructive generic framework; thus they may be broken down in sub-processes, combined, or their sequence changed. Choosing a study topic

Report Presentation

Literature Review

Documentation

Formulating the problem for the study

Drawing Conclusion and Recommendation

Choosing the variables to study Data Collection

Finding the Multicultural Variation

Sorting of necessary information

Data Analysis and Interpretation

Graph-2.1: Flowchart showing the methodology of the study

Every work has some purposes and method of completing those purposes. After complete purpose than need the processing of data which is collected from field. We know that data is a body of information in numerical form and it is a collection of statistical information of values of the variable of interest in a study. On the Basis of sources, data is two types. In this report we use both type data. The sources of both data are given below-

Data Sources Primary Sources

Secondary Sources

Primary data are obtained from the organization or institution that originally collected the information. The data collected for the first time by the investigator as original data are known as primary data. In this study tour we have collected the primary data by the following ways Visual observation: By visiting a particular place and after observe that we get some data which is helping us to make a report.  Questionnaire: At first we select a particular place or particular topics, then to know everything about that place all related question contain on a sheet of paper and in this way be collect all types of information.  Discussion: Group discussion is a very important process of reporting. By this process many view idea develops and those can help to make a successful report. According to this process we collect all types of information.  Interview: By interview we can gather more different and much knowledge which help us to collect information and data. In this study tour, we have got a seminar presentation in tribal cultural institute of Cox’s Bazar. By this seminar we knew details about tribal, lifestyle and other phenomena. 10

 Map Reading: We came to know about the location and area of our traveling area from map. We know the road to Cox’s bazaar from route map.  Photograph: We snapped various charming natural sceneries. These photographs helped us in observation and research. They are also a great source of our enjoyment.

 Literature Review: A comprehensive literature study was done to gain an exact scenario of the two mine. Various important and necessary data are collected from already published books, journal, previous works, newspaper, internet etc. By gathering all the information the field report of our study tour is made. We come to know about the previous condition of the area and can identified the difference with present situation.

We know that if an investigator is using data which have been collected by someone else, then such data are known as secondary data. For make a successful report we have followed some secondary data sources such as: Different published Books  Banglapedia  Different Journals  Encyclopedia  From different organization  From related books  Internet  Satellite image  From map

There are various instrument used in our study tour. The instruments are following below:              

GPS- Explorist 200 pH meter DO meter EC meter Binocular and Erasers Hand mike Digital camera. Measuring tape Base map Sample bags Sample bottle Clip board Cutter and Marker pen Pen and pencil

03 03

Coast: The wide bank of an ocean is called coast. It is spread 200 km. towards ocean from land. Land and shallow ocean area is called coastal, where situated 70% ocean area and 30% land area. Perhaps the coastal area is populated because of mild climatic condition, health resort and economic activities are well. Different part of coast:     

Shore line Marine force of coastal area Erosional features of land form Depositional features of land form Bio-diversity.

1. Classification of coast: There are 3 types of coast and these are – A) Back shore B) Fore shore C) Off shore Cliff classifi cation of co

Back shore High tide line -------------------------------------------------------------Fore shore Low tide line -----------------------------------------------

Off shore

Figure 3.1: Classification of coast

2. Shore line: In flood tide the last boundary of coast which the water touched is called share line.

3. Marin forces of coastal area: There are 3 main forces which work in coastal area. They are also very important agents to modification of coastal land. These are â&#x20AC;&#x201C; A) waves B) Current C) Tides Waves: Waves form for the causes of oceanic wind, unequal distribution of pressure, angular distance point of the coast etc. Not only that, sometimes earthquake (Tsunami), Stamen, organic forces etc. create the waves.

Crest

Wave length Wave Height

Trough

Figure 3.2: Waves Current: Current flows in the long shore of the ocean. It is called long shore or lateral current. Current also work in erosion and deposition and transportation of sediment of coastal area.

Figure 3.3: Current 15

Tides: The tide producing forces are caused by the gravitational attraction of the sun and moon on the earth and therefore, closely related to the movement of these bodies. It is very important factor to know about the coastal geomorphology.

Flood Tide H.T.L Ebb Tide L.T.L

Figure 3.4: Tide.

Saint Martin is a dumbelled shape island. It stretches on a north-south axis in length and west to east in width. The island is about 7.8km long and a few hundred meters to a little over 1km in width. The surface area of the island is about 8 km2 at low tide and about 5 km2 at high tide.The Uttarpara (Narikeldia) is the northern part of Narikel Jinjira. It narrows down gradually towards the south. A shallow lagoon is located in the middle of Uttarpara and it is connected to the sea only at high tide by a narrow channel on the west coast. The major part of the lagoon has been converted into an agricultural field and only a small part (less than 0.5 Km) of the lagoon still remains flooded (depth 1 m or less). A large Number of coral boulders are seen in the lagoon area.The top soil of Uttarpara consists of alluvial sands mixed with molluscan shells. In the north and northeast, there forms a sandy beach stretching over 300-400m into the sea. The inter-tidal eastern and southern coast of Uttarpara is rocky. People largely inhabit Uttarpara and farming activities are seen mainly there. Planted trees particularly coconut tree, have replaced the original vegetation. Some timber yielding plants are also there. Anthropogenic activity is mainly concentrated on this part of the island. 16

The southern part of the island is separated from Uttarpara by a narrow strip of island, locally known as Golachipa. It is about 500 m in length and about 300m wide. The area has been eroding with the sea approaching it from both sides (east & west). It seems that in future the northern and southern part of the island may become separated by the sea. The top soil of Golachipa consists of dry sand and has a dune environment. Xerophytic plants are found, no human inhabitation exists here. The major part of the area remains during high tide. There are three small lagoons. The soil is confined to a limited area and consists of loose sands mixed with large quantity of molluscan shells.Some offshore rocky reefs (rocks shoals) along the west coast and south coast become exposed during the low spring tides. These rock shoals have cracked sedimentary rocks at the base and weathered spherical rocks on the top.The island shows signs of erosion in many places. It is particularly eroded along the coastline but not in the south west coast, which is mostly rocky. A costal embankment has been constructed by piling up loose boulders (including coral boulders) along a considerable length of the east and west coast.

The structure is simple and is represented by an anticlinal uplift. The island lies on the eastern flank of the anticline. A little of the axis of the anticline is traceable along the west coast of Dakshinpara. The exposed portion of the axis runs NNW to SSE, approximately parallel to the island. There is a fault along the northwestern shoreline with a trend nearly parallel to the axis. The fault seems to be reverse in nature with the eastern side as the upthrown block. The anticline is slightly asymmetrical with a monoclinal swing on the eastern flank. The bedrock on the eastern flank near the axis dips very gently at an angle of 3° to 5° towards the east, increasing eastwards to 10° to 12°. The monoclinal swing gives a high dip of 30° and above at Siradia. Very little of the western flank is exposed above the sea which records a dip of 6° towards the west. The monoclinal swing gives the anticline a box-like shape.The birth of the island is related to the regional tectonics of Southeast Asia. As a sequel to the most dynamic Himalayan orogeny during Middle Miocene (around 15 million years before.

Figure 3.5: Geological Structure of Saint Martin

Physiography: Cox’s bazar mostly commits hilly & forest region with coast. This are often victim of sea strome, tidal bore, hurriane cyclone. Matarbari, Sonadia St, Martinis in cox’s bazar district. Cox bazar consists the largest sea beach of the world and charming forest belt. Location: Cox’s bazar district is include in Chittagong division. It is bounded by Chittagong district on the north, Bay of Bengle on the south, Bandarban district, arakan (Myanmar), the river Naf on the east, the bay of Bengle of the west. Climate: The climate as cox’s bazar is temperate. The annual average maximum temperature 34.80c and minimum 16.10c. The annual average rainfall is 4285 mm. Main River: The main river of cox’s bazar district are matamuhuri, Bakhali, Rejukhal, Naf, Maheshkhali, Channel, Kutubdia Channel. Natural calamity- Storm, tidal bore, hurricane, cyclone. Vegetation: Agricultural 18

crops- Paddy, Potato, Onion, garlic nut, wheat, rubber, mustard, cotton, tobacco, vegetables etc. Mainfruits- mango, Banana, Pineapple jackfruit, orange papaya, palm, guava etc.Tress-Kali garjan, Dhup, Kamdeb, Raktan, Narkeli, Tali, Coconut, Chundul, chatim, Ashox, Tejbhal, Jam, Dumur, Mangrove, Konoi, Dharmara. Population: Total population 1419260, Male 52.33%, Female 47.67% Densities population per sq. km is 570.

Differences between Male and Female 100% 50% 0%

Female, 47.67 Male, 52.33 Male

Female

Graph -3.1: Male and Female rate Religions institution-Mosque: - 1226, Temple: - 212, Buddhist Keyang and pagoda: -162, Church: - 8, Mazar: - 12, Cultural Organization: - Club, society & organization, women organization, co-operative, society public library, theatre groups cinema hall etc. Main occupations: Agriculture 25.64%, Forestry 1.85%, Fishing 4.01%, Agricultural labor 21.2%, Wage labor 7.64%, Service 4.68%, Commerce 1.86, others 17.98%

Main Occupation 30 25 20 15 10 5 0

25.64 21.2

17.98 7.64

4.01

4.68

g ty or or hin ab res ab l l s o i l e F F a ag t ur W u c ri Ag

e ce e rc rvi e m S m Co

1.85

re ltu u ric

1.86

he Ot

Graph-3.2: Main Occupation of Cox’s Bazar District

Transport system: Boat, Sampan & palanquin, bullock car, couch, Communication facilities: Pacce road 462 km, Semi Pacca 340 km, Mud road 176 km, Religions Muslim 92.13%, Hindu 5.6%, Buddhist 2.17%, Christian 0.06%, Others 0.04%

2.17

0.04

5.6 0.06

Muslim Hindu Buddhist

92.13

Christan Others

Graph-3.3: Religion of Cox’s Bazar District

Cottage industries: Weaving 851, brass work-33, garments 200 conch industry-50, welding 172, fish preservation center 85, bamboo & came work 1991, Goldsmith 290 Blacksmith 232, potteries-405 wood worker 1141 tailoring-1766. Mineral Resources: Natural Gas, Zircon, Limonite, Rutile, Magnetite, Monazite, Coralline, Limestone tec. Exporting Goods: Betal leaf, betel nut jackfruit, banana, papaya, pineapple, timber, shrimp, try fish, salt, tobacco, ground hut, coco hut, rubber etc. Land use: Cultivable land- 79500 hectares, Forestry-91565 hectares, Follow land8620 hectares, Land for salt processing- 13355 hectares, Land for shrimp cultivation-24114 hectares, Cultivate land under irrigation-64%

Climate: The climate of beach much in moist. The main course of moist, weather is a lot of evaporation occurs on the sea. Depth: The depth of the beach is about one kilometers. It differs on different occur. Ocean current: It’s seasonal and it is parallel with the coast line. Salinity: The average salinity of the Occur in about 35 ppt. Temperature: The temperature of sea water is about 280 Celsius on the equatorial region and on the polar region in about 2 Celsius. Sediment: The sediment of the beach is mostly and most of the sediments deposits on the continental shelf and continental rise area.

Figure-3.6: Cox’s Bazar Sea Beach Sea Beach

After observed Cox’s Bazar sea beach we have found different economic activities. We have divided it in different categories such as1. Primary economic activities 2. Secondary economic activities 3. Tertiary economic activities 4. Quaternary economic activities. Primary Economic Activities:  Plantation  Agriculture  Gardening  Fishing etc. Secondary Economic Activities:  Bus  Rickshaw  Van  Tempo  Transportation Tertiary Economic Activities:  Hotel and restaurant business  Photography  Rent of umbrella and rest bed  Horse riding  Retail setting  Weight measuring  Exhibition of sea fish  Construction. Quaternary:

 Tourism  Museum

Cox’s Bazar sea beach is facing different threat day by day. Those threats are: 1. Physical induce threat 2. Human induce threat. Physical induced threats After observed Cox’s Bazar sea beach, we have found some physical induce threats. Such as Wave (Land erosion)  Tide & ebb (loosing soil texture)  Crab hole (Loosing soil texture and make quick sand)  Storm (Destroy the coastal area)  Land slide/ mass wasting (Decrease the depth of sea)  Tsunami (rarely)  Destroyed of plant  Global warning (Harmful for beach) Human Induced Threat Without physical threats for destroyed beach environment, human threats are also responsible, such as1) Commercial uses of beach area Polluting the beach  Covering the beach area etc. 2) House riding Eroding the beach 3) Spread boat Mixing oil with sea water. 4) Wastage (men & others phenomena) Hokers, visitor’s etc. polluting the beach  Water bottle, paper coconut, banana, etc. are the waste Age. 5) Carriers Small carriers making erosion. 6) Infrastructure Police station, electric poles, hotels, shops.  Settlement increasing 7) Sheds using for recreation Evoking the beach  Unstable the beach environment. 23

Generally Island is a piece of land that is completely surrounded by water. In Bangladesh there many island. Most of island are situated in southern part of Bangladesh. Their natural scenery are very harming. Tradition goes that at one time a local peasants discovered a store-image from the forest. He came to know in a dream that the stone-image belongs to a Hindu deity named mahes. The peasant bail a temple and placed the image there. It is presumed that the island was named as Maheskhali. Now it called Maheskhali Island. Maheskhali Island is situated in Coxâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bazar district. In takes 15 minutes to go there by speedboat. Once upon a time it was famous for Houses of Health our visiting place was also in Maheskhali Island.

Figure-3.7: Maheskhali Island

Maheskhali Upazila with an area of 362.18 sq. km. Location: Latitude: 21-28 and 21-45 Longitude: 91-51 and 92-01 E Boundary- It is bounded by Chakaria upazila on the north, Cox’s bazar sadar upazila and the Bay of Bengal on the south, Chakaria & Cox’s bazar sadar upazila on the cast, Kutobdia upazila & the Bay of Bangal on the west. The eastern part of the upazila is separated from mainland by the Maheskhali Channel. Main Rivers- Bakkhli and Maheskhali chennel is the main river of Maheskhali island. Land use-Cultivable land-5575.36 Hectares, Salt production-2073.4 Hectares, Shrimp cultivation- 2105.69 Hectares, Fallow land1715.21Hectares.

Graph-3.4: Land Use of Maheskhali Island

Forest resources have a great part to play in the economic development of a country. 25% of the total land should remain under forest-cover for the economic development of a country. Bangladesh has sot 32 lac areas of forest. The forest cover is diminishing day to meet greater demand for timber for housing and forniture and fuel caused by increase of population. In Maheskhali Island, there are many types of trees such as Meghogouy, Acasia, Bambo, Karan, Banuna, Sattum, Segum, Koroi, Nut, Gamar, Got’s waste trees etc. Man grove forest are found in Sundarban. But we have seen some mangrove forest in Maheskhali Island. There are the important forest resources of this island. The forest resources is limited in Bangladesh. Yet its role in economic development of the country cannot be ignored. 25

Economic activities are a very important process for a place. In the Maheshkhali Island there have different types of economic activities. Such as: Primary economic activities  Secondary economic activities  Tertiary activities. Primary activities: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Net making and catching fish Salt producing Black smith Dry fish Poultry firm

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

Water transportation (boating) Selling betel leaf Wood fuel Iron processing shop Confectionery Jewelry Salt refining Work shop Furniture shop

Secondary activities:

Tertiary Activities 1. Mat shop 2. cookeries shop and Rickshaw 3. Shoe shop and Pick up. 4. Cloth shop 5. Vegetable market and Van 6. Hair cutting 7. Hotel 8. Dispensary 9. Decorator 10.Tailor’s 11.Electronics 12.Telecommunication 13.Timber shop and Iron shop 26

04 04

Coral reefs are one of the most species-rich habitats in the world covering only a small fraction of the Earth but are home to 20%of the earthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s biodiversity (Moberg & Folke, 1999). Roughly 60,000 animals and plants inhabit reefs (Reaka-Kudla, 1994) with over 4,000 fish species accounting for nearly a third of all saltwater fish globally (Burke et al., 2011).They are indicators of ocean health and provide many important ecological services including physical structure, biotic services, and the ability to collect historical information for these valuable and diverse ecosystems (Moberg & Folke, 1999). They are home to a wide array of organisms that use reefs for spawning, breeding and feeding grounds thus, regulating and maintaining the resilience of the reef ecosystem (McClanahan et al., 1994).Coral reefs serve as a buffer from currents, waves, and storms preventing the loss of land from erosion (Moberg & Folke, 1999). This process creates environments that promote growth of neighboring ecosystems such as mangroves and sea-grass ecosystems (Ogden, 1988). Neighboring ecosystems also benefit from the species such as herbivorous fish and sea urchins that graze in sea-grass, commercially significant fish, and other organisms which serve as sustenance for humans (Spurgeon, 1992). Reefs also help to generate historical climatic information used to identify trends in climate and changes in ecosystems. Coral skeletons contain layers, much like the rings of a tree, and can be used to determine past climate conditions such as surface temperature and salinity levels.

There are many threats to coral reefs and the majority of them are human induced. Coral reefs are particularly susceptible to human activities because most coral reefs occur in shallow waters that are near shores where human impacts are the greatest. Human impacts such as population stress, increased sediment load, shipping, development along shorelines, over-fishing, habitat destruction, pollution, careless tourism, and ocean warming and bleaching have dramatic negative impacts on the coral reefs. Natural disasters such as hurricanes and earthquakes have significant effects on the coral reef ecosystem however the damage is considered a natural cycle of the ecosystem. Human damage has a more significant effect on the coral ecosystem and it can take a much longer time for the reef to recover.Unplanned 28

development and construction of hotels for tourists on the beach is destroying the natural beauty as well as the marine ecosystem of St Martin's, the only coral island of Bangladesh. Now there are nine hotels along the beach and ten more are on the drawing board. All of them are intended to be situated on the beach. The island, which was once a haven for Olive Ridley turtles, tiny red crabs and many other marine animals, is now the victim of mindless, environment-destroying development. It is by now crowded by different structures. The habitats of rare and endangered marine life are being destroyed willy-nilly, and the scenic beauty is being ruined.

Figure-4.1: Sea Turtle Many big sea turtles were found dead on the beach. Residents of the island said that once there were a lot of snails, oysters, jelly fish and star fish, but now very few live snails or oysters are found on the shore. They also said many species of trees have become extinct and the biodiversity of the island is being depleted. St Martin's Union Parishad chairman, Moulvi Feroj Ahmed Khan, said many rich people had bought plots of land along the beach for building hotels, but they did not take permission from the authorities concerned in this regard. Large tracts of the land were once used for cultivation by the local people, said an elderly man of the island, but now they are being covered by buildings, endangering the food security of the country. The number of inhabitants has been increasing day by day in this small island of 8 square kilometres, threatening the ecology of this unique coral area. There are more than 29

7,000 inhabitants in the island,the chairman said, and many of the Rohingya refugees hide there.He said they had held a meeting on November 3 with the deputy commissioner to take steps for driving 70 Rohingya refugee families out of the island. "We are yet to expel any refugee."Though the government took up different projects to protect the biodiversity and ecosystem of the island, illegal collection of algae and coral is still going on in the Chhera Island, a part of the main island, which is separated from St Martin's during high tide. A fisherman, who was selling many live and dead algae on November 18 at the Chhera Island, told New Age that they were aware that algae collection was illegal. "But it has high demand among the tourists. Many visitors ask us where they can get such algae. So we respond to the demand. After all, we have to make a living." (New Age, December 5, 2004)

The hotels and restaurants that sprang up in the recent past in Saint Martin's Island, one of the ecologically critical areas (ECA) in the country, have been operating without any official approval. According to the law, building of any structure and carrying out any activity that might pollute the environment or harm the flora and fauna in an ECA is strictly prohibited. But the different government agencies turning a blind eye to the violation. Nearly 100 privately owned hotels and restaurants are currently doing business in the 3.34-square kilometre island with only 10,000 inhabitants. Most of these business houses found them in last twelve years. Sources said that on an average 2,500 visitors use to visit the island every day during the peak tourist season. They reserve their seats in the hotels. The problem is that the sewerage lines from the hotels are polluting the blue waters. Use of diesel to generate electricity for the hotels having 800-bed capacity for overnight stay of tourists is also degrading the natural environment of the island in the southern-most tip of Bangladesh. Permanently migrated Rohingyas have raised the population of Saint Martin's Island from about 5,700 in 2001 to nearly 10,000 in 2009. On September 29, 2007, the Director of Department of Environment (DoE), Chittagong Division, in a letter said, the DoE had never given approval to any hotel or restaurant to operate on the island. Considering its rich natural biodiversity, the government in a gazette notification declared Saint Martinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an ecologically critical area on April 19, 1999. Extraction of coral, seashell and conch, felling of trees and building structures were declared restricted in the gazette. Director of Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers' Association (Bela), Syeda Rizwana Hasan said, construction of any hotel or restaurant within the ECA is prohibited. It's a violation of Sections 5 and 12 of Environment Protection Act. Violators could be 30

punished with a maximum of 10 years imprisonment and additional Taka 10 lakh in fine, she added. Thousands of tourists are thronging St Martin's Island every year for its crystal clear blue seawaters, corals, shells, conch and giant crabs. According to Saint Martin's Hotel Owners' Association sources, not less than 1, 20,000 people visited the island last year. The objective of the government-sponsored eco-tourism project was to ensure an undisturbed habitat for the flora and fauna of the island.

Figure-4.2: Turtle Eggs Hatching "Sea turtles, one of the major indicators of the health of sea, are not getting the suitable environment for laying eggs. Besides, the number of mother turtles is decreasing every year. It will be harmful for our sea as the turtles help keep the sea environment clean," said an official of Ministry of Environment and Forest. According to a government report, most of the residential houses and all but 10 hotels and restaurants on the island do not use ring-slab toilets. Raw sewage and other wastes are discharged in the open environment instead. In a survey conducted by Village Education Resource Center (Verc), a non31

government organization, the presence of coliform bacteria, a serious contaminant found in food or drinking water, was detected in the groundwater of St Martinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s. The presence of the bacteria was detected to be 10 times higher than Bangladesh standard. Observers believe that the said island has potentialities to send revenues to the government in millions. So, the future plans should be structured accordingly, including protection of environment. (Source: The New Nation, April 11, 2010)

Environmental degradation caused by tourism activities is commonplace. Due to their small size, many small islands face relatively large environmental dangers, even in the absence of tourism, mostly due to the pressures arising from the process of economic development. Building for tourist accommodation such as hotels, motels, restaurants has increased at a very rapid rate as a result of intensive development in certain areas. The fragility of their ecosystem arises as a result of a low level of resistance to outside influences. The increase in tourism has brought with it increased use of environmentally dangerous products, such as plastic containers and emissions of toxic gasses from cars, power stations, and barbecue grills. Many of these environmental dangers are of course exacerbated by tourism (Briguglio and Briguglio, 1996). The huge amount of waste produced by tourist related activity gives rise to huge waste dumps, which are often only a short distance away from the tourist centres. This creates health hazards and reduces the aesthetic qualities of the place. Another problem of small size island is related to density and carrying capacity. Many islands experience high tourism densities in relation to their population and land area. There are nearly 7000 people on this small island of 12 square kilometres area. In tourist season (Nov.-Feb.) average 3000 people visit this island daily, which is beyond the holding capacity of this small marine island (Haider, 2008). There is regular big ferry services and engine boat, used for carrying of tourist, to the island. For this reason, a huge amount of crude oil and other non-biodegradable waste are released in the sea water adjacent to the island. In addition to this huge amounts of untreated market and domestic wastes, which include sewage matters (only 5% of the local people have sanitary latrine facilities) from the local people and tourists, are discharged into the adjacent coastal water. Thus the quality of coastal water is degrading gradually. Coral, algae, different species of shells, star fish are collected by the tourists regularly. Local people also collect stone and rock daily for lime making and construction 32

works, which is a threat for the existence of the island. Construction of multistoried concrete building, hotel, motel, jetty etc. for the last few years are also posing a threat for this special type of island and its sensitive biodiversity, though that type development activities and construction have been stopped now by the government. In addition to above factors, cyclones, storm surges, heavy fresh water runoff during monsoon as well as other anthropogenic activities like over exploitation of coastal fishery resources, harmful boat anchoring practices instead of mooring buoy and uses of destructive fishing gear, mainly the use of rock weighted gill nets over the inshore boulder reefs is a prime aggravation and one of the main causes of death of the endangered rare turtle species, who came to lay their eggs considering this island as ideal nesting ground after crossing many hundred miles. Nearly every day one/two big turtles are found dead by human activities in the coastal water of St. Martin's island. (Haider, 2008)

At present many tourism company build hotels, motels, resort for the tourist. But these tourists completely destroy the ecological balance, biodiversity of the island. Waste are found lying on the island everywhere. We visited the entire area and found some mismanagement and anti-lawful work in the island. They are given below Tourist come here every day and stay on the hotels. But they seems as illiterate and no sense of humor. They thought that they come to Saint Martin’s island only for pollution. They through the waste materials here and there.  The hotels built in the island have no waste treatment process. They directly release the used water to the land. They dump both organic and inorganic materials together. Organic materials work as a fertilizers but in organic materials such as poly-ethene degraded the fertility of the soil.  Most of the hotels have no hygienic system. There are many waste materials seen here and there in the island.

 Most of the hotels build in the island as an unplanned way. They don’t follow any rules to construct this buildings and the hotels are responsible for the unplanned land use.  Sewage and waste disposal in the island are increasing as tourism being developed in an unsustainable manner.  Tourist hotel currently at the west beach connected their sewage line to seawater that will impact seriously in future. This uncontrolled waste disposal if increase further may have a serve impact of the ground water and inertial biodiversity.  Large-scale removal of intertidal boulders for coastal protection and clearance for boat anchoring has been occurred since long time before. It prevents nesting turtle to emerge up to the dry sandy beach.  Even the oil seepage from the ship also pollute the water.

Figure-4.3: Waste Pollutant thrown by the Tourists

St. Martin’s Island has been identified for protection and management under the National Conservation Strategy of Bangladesh, but no analysis and identification of key sites has been carried out. There are no management plans and no trained staff to undertake conservation, therefore destructive human activities continues to degrade the reef resources. As there are no baseline data on St Martin’s Island, surveys and taxonomic knowledge are needed, particularly concerning fish and invertebrate diversity. There is no clear conservation policy and consultations with the local community on resource management have been limited. A review of the National Conservation Strategy showed that legal and institutional issues have largely been ignored. To manage tourism in any marine park, it is useful not to lose sight of the primary objective of declaring the islands as marine protected areas. There are several points that are worth considering in order allowing tourism opportunities to work in perpetuity with the environmental conservation objective. These points are: 

Establish ecotourism in marine protected area

Maintaining the ecosystem integrity should be on the very top of priority list of goals. It is indeed a challenge for park managers to balance between providing quality recreation experiences for the visitors and protecting the marine ecosystem and resources. Ecotourism is environmentally friendly tourism that gives people the opportunity to experience the beauty of nature and learn how to be more environmentally responsible. 

Recognizing tourism related matters that affect the island’s resources

Ecologically critical areas visitation is gaining popularity in tourism marketing and widespread interests among visitors. It is common knowledge that adverse impact to this fragile environment is likely to occur if tourism planning and management are done arbitrarily. Effects of tourism to the country’s small island have long been discussed and the existing tourism related issues affecting island’s ecosystem and resources are generally documented to land development for tourism facilities, pollution, damage and destruction of coral reef systems as well as illegal activities done by visitors.



Impact assessment and minimizing adverse impact

Environmental and social impact assessments can be undertaken for this purpose. Such assessments should contain a description of the potential direct, indirect and provoked effects on the environment and on society at large, and a description of alternative sites which can be used for the same projects. The exercise should also propose suggestions as to how the adverse environmental and social effects can be mitigated. One of the problems with tourism inflows in St. Martin’s Island is that such inflows tend to be concentrated in some areas and in some months. This suggests that if the impact could be spread, the carrying capacity of the islands would be less taxed, and the environment less threatened. 

Visitor-impact problems and identify management strategies

There are several visitor-planning frameworks to assess visitor impact problems and identify management strategies. The processes involved in all frameworks are useful steps that could contribute to balancing the conflicting goals of conservation and recreational opportunities.  Improving management strategies of the islands The development of a sustainable approach to tourism must be based on strategies that protect and strengthen both natural and cultural diversities. It needs to integrate the rights of local communities to use and manage natural resources. And it should ensure that any profits from tourism are used by the local populations as well as for the conservation of natural resources. Ecotourism has the potential to help preserve and enrich local indigenous cultures not only in the short term. When developing an ecotourism strategy, the vulnerability of the natural or cultural resource being promoted must be carefully assessed to ensure that any planned activities do not threaten or undermine it. Governments’ planning and development approach of the islands is perhaps more on fostering tourism for socio-economic reason. Thus, much attention has been or is being given to physical development such as the development of resorts and other tourism infrastructures. To successfully protect and conserve the marine resources, it is important to acknowledge the interlinked effect of land with the sea. 

Setting standards and monitoring

Many environmental problems arising from tourism are associated with the absence of standards and ineffective monitoring. Certain activities need to be controlled and monitored on an ongoing basis, either because they cause damage due to certain 36

unforeseen circumstances. Monitoring implies setting quality and quantity standards and codes of good practice in the first place, which in the case of tourism could include levels of permitted tourist capacity in certain beaches, maximum levels of pollution etc. Enforcement problems are now the main reason why environmental degradation still takes place at what too many is an unacceptable level. The legal and institutional set-up is sufficiently developed, as was shown above (Briguglio and Briguglio, 1996). ď&#x201A;ˇ

Social Impoverishment

One problem is that the foreign culture, as portrayed by tourists, appears out of context. While on vacation, many people change their styles of sleeping, spending, gambling, and socialising. As a result the view that local people receive of the visitors' culture is not only alien, but also inaccurate. In general, the more exotic the location, the more in demand as a tourist destination. This is why tourists tend to favour places with a high degree of biodiversity. The contradiction is that tourism, which thrives in high- diversity environments, can accelerate the degradation of such environments. ď&#x201A;ˇ

Alternative forms of tourism

Most tourists visit the islands mostly because of its Mediterranean climate, and its sea and sun. One is tempted to conclude therefore that alternative forms to mass tourism are attractive only if they supplement traditional tourism and if they enhance the potential of the island as a tourist resort. Tourism on economic grounds, preemptive and corrective measures to reduce its negative impacts may be more meaningful and operationally useful than policies to reduce the inflows (Briguglio and Briguglio, 1996). ď&#x201A;ˇ

Self-regulation

Self-regulation can be advocated as a means of reducing the negative environmental impact of tourism. It is in the interests of the tourism industry itself to protect the environment and therefore there exists an incentive for the tourist industry itself to prevent destruction of the environment. There is now a general consensus that planning tourism activities are essential, primarily because there is a growing concern about its impact on the environment (Briguglio and Briguglio, 1996).

 Impact on Soil Composition: Soil profile in the salt faming land shows that top soil layer contains very fine salty clay layer, thickness of 4 cm. The sub surface soil layers are consequently silt and clay. The salty layer is yellowish color, which is the evidence of oxidized soil. After a long geological time this land may be covered to peat layer. The top soil layer is salty clay and for swelling and shrinking mud crack occurs. When salt water is captured huge amount of water percolate easily to the sub surface soil through the mud crack, which is severe effect on soil composition.  Impact on ground water: A significant amount of stagnant saline water directly penetrates to the ground water and contaminating ground water. Chemicals are used in salt cultivation enters in ground water through soil horizon by leaching process. As a result, ground water contamination is a major problem in study area.  Impact on Weather: Evaporation of saline water carries very fine salt grains in this area, which accumulated in the atmosphere. The soil grains come back as precipitation. That is why the salinity of precipitation is high and changes the atmospheric quality.  Impact on Soil pH and Infiltration: Because of salt cultivation in agricultural land soil, pH increases and preparation of saltpan reduce infiltration rate of the soil.  Impact on ecology and biodiversity: Soil nutrient is reduced because of salt cultivation. This creates an adverse condition for vegetation and other micro biota. The ecosystem based on this vegetation is damaged. It may cause the extinction of many species.  Salinity Impact on Tree Production: Tree production (both fruit and forest trees) are also being hampered due to salinity. In the surveyed area, the fruit trees like mango, beetle nut, coconut, sapota, date palm, giant taro, jackfruit, black berry, wax jumbo etc are disappearing gradually. Drastic reduce growth of beetle nut, papaya and banana were also noticed. However, some exotic quick growing trees like babla, rain tree, and eucalyptus are growing satisfactorily.  Another Environmental effects of salinity: Due to salinity the physiographic structure of saline areas are changing rapidly. In this region, climatic change becomes a vital point for future generation. Declining tree species production, reducing soil fertility, increasing disease etc. 38

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Plant Diversity: The main vegetation of this island is coconut, betel nut & bamboo. Coconut trees are abundant & more concentrated in the Jinjira area. The soil of the island is not so fertile. The main agricultural products are onion, watermelon & some rice. According to Tomascik (1997) subtidal habitats of Narikel Jinjira support highly roductive and diverse algal/sea grass beds. From his seaweeds of economic importance from the St. Martin’s Island and that about 50 km2 of potential area suitable for seaweed cultivation. Trees: Among the naturally occurring trees, two species of Pandanus (locally called keya) and one species of Streblus dominate. A number of trees such as coconut palms have been introduced and planted by the local inhabitants to obtain food, fibre, fuel, and construction materials for houses and boats. As noted earlier the small strips of mangroves on Dakhin Para at Cheradia and Gola Chipa hold a very small mangrove formation mostly of Sonneratia apetala and Lumnitzera racemosa. Coconut Palm Cocos nucifera (locally called Narikel) is abundantly cultivated on the Island and has given the Bangla name of St. Martin’s – Narikel Jhinjira. Three other species of Palmae occur on the island, namely: Areca Nut Palm Areca catechu (locally called supari), Asian Palmyra Palm Borassus flabellifer (locally called taal), and Silver Date Palm Phoenix sylvestris (locally called khejur).

Figure-5.1: Trees of Saint Martin Island Mangrove Species: In the remnant patch of mangrove forest are found the following mangrove associated species: Acanthus ilicifolius, Hibiscus tiliceous, Excoecaria agallocha, Avicennia marina and Clerodendrum inerme. Aegialitis rotundifolia, an 40

early coloniser, has disappeared from the Island. Streblus asper and Vitex trifoliata are also found among the crevices formed by rocks, adjacent to a swamp supporting the young mangrove formation.

Figure-5.2: Mangrove trees during high tide Shrubs: Areas of shrubs are dominated by the abundant Vitex trifolea (locally known as nil nishinda) and Vitex negundo, both belonging to the Amiacea family, and by some species of Leguminosae. The rattan Calamus guruba (locally called jali bet) also occurs naturally on the Island.

Screw Pines: One of two dominant tree genera, Pandanaceae, is represented by two species, namely the screw pines Pandanus fascicularis locally called keya and Pandanus foetidus (locally known as keyawata). Pandanus functions virtually as a 41

fence around the Island, protecting inland areas from the elements of wind, water and sand. Pandanus is important for sand dune formation, maintaining dune structure and protecting the shoreline from wind and water erosion. Local people use both species for medicinal purposes, to treat asthma (keyawata) and skin disease (keya).

Figure-5.3: Shrub of screw pine with unripe fruit Herbs: The main herb of note is the Beach Morning Glory or Goatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Foot Ipomoea pes-caprae (locally called Shagor lota). This is an abundant creeping vine belonging to the Convolvulaceae family. It grows on the upper parts of beaches and endures salt spray. Algae: 154 species of marine algae have been identified, mainly from the Islandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s inter-tidal and littoral zone. Marine algae form an important source of nutrients for of animal life in which feed directly on themor prey on animals that eat algae. Besides the larger species of algae, microscopic organisms such as diatoms, occurring as thick plankton are the chief source of food for many molluscs, crustaceans, tunicates and fish. The larger species, commonly known as seaweed, play an important role in protecting soil from erosion and in enhancing sedimentation by holding the organic and inorganic components of brackish water during the monsoon. Seaweed is thus very important for improving and protecting beach structure. 42

Figure-5.4: Thalloid Algae

Faunal Diversity: St. Martinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Island is enriched by different fauna. These are Corals, Molluscs, Echinodermata, Amphibia, Reptiles, Birds, and Mammals etc Reptiles: A total of 29 reptilian species are found such as Varaus salvator (gui shap), Calotes versicolor (kaklash), Caretta caretta (sagor kachim), Naja kaouthia (Padma gokhra), Naja naja knouthia (khaya gokhra) etc. Birds: A total of 120 spcies of birds are found, of them 77 species are resident and 43 are migratory such as Nettapus coromandelianus ( Bali hash), Coracias benghalensis (Nilkantho), Halcyon pileata ( Machranga), Eudynamis scolopacea (kokil), Amaurornis phoenicurus (Dahuk) etc.

Figure-5.5: Birds of Saint Martin Adjacent Area. Mammals: A total of 25 species of mammals belonging to 7 families are found such as Pteropus giganteus (Badur), Balaenopterus musculus (nil timi), Delphinus delphis (Shishu), Rattus norvegicus (Idur) etc. Echinoderms: A total of only nine species belonging to eight genera in four classes of the phylum Echinodermata have been identified to species level from the Island, these comprise four species of sea urchin, one species of sea star, three species of nudibranchs, and one species of sea cucumber.

Figure-5.6: Sea Archin 44

Coral: The coral communities of the Island are highly significant as there are only a few examples worldwide where coral communities dominate rock reefs as they do at St. Martin’s. Coral communities extend to about 200 m offshore of St. Martin’s Island. In Saint Martin coral are found in 68 species, 10 family and 22 genus. The island contain 7.5% coral area among the total island. The soft coral community off the east coast of St. Martin’s Island is a unique feature of the subtidal zone. Soft corals belong to the subclass Octocoralia, and are represented by three orders: Helioporacea, Alcyonacea, and Pennatulacea. Different types of coral are brain coral, table coral, star coral, mushroom coral, zebra coral found in Saint Martin and Chheradia Island.

Figure-5.7: Different types of dead coral 45

Crustaceans and Molluscs: Crustaceans mainly lobsters, crabs, shrimps are mainly found in Saint Martin and Chheradia Island. Narikel Jinjira is a small island in the cradle of the Bay of Bengal with a rich mollusc fauna. Some mollusca are Ischnochiton boniensis, Scutus unguis, Turbo bruneus, Cellena ornate, Turbo cinereus, Nerita albicilla, Nerita sp., Cerithidea sp., Natica sp., Polinices sp., Planaxis sp., Latrius sp., Pugilina sp., Siphonaria sp., Chama sp., Mactra sp., Turris crispa, Venus sp. etc.

Figure-5.8: Lobstar Fish: A total of 234 species of fish in 85 families of 14 orders and 2 classes have been identified, of which only 16 are freshwater species. Rhinocodon typus (timi mach), Rhizoprionodon acutus, Narcine brunea (brown electric fish), Ilisha elongata (Big eye ilisha), Coilia ramcarati (korati), Clarias batrachus (Magur mach), Harpadon nehereus ( Loitta mach), Hippocampus kuda (ghora mach),

Figure-5.9: Different fishes in Saint Martin Island

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The management and conservation activities are not followed properly, where users of the island still haphazardly utilize the natural resources of coral reef. The destruction of habitat and over-exploitation of these resources have resulted in decaling the biodiversity as well as degradation of coastal and island ecosystems. There is lack of awareness among the resource users about the interaction of various coastal components and they do not have enough knowledge about the resource and its importance, utilization and conservation. So, proper implementation of the rules and regulations for 'Ecologically Critical Areas (ECA's)', declaration and implementation of 'Marine Protected Area (MPA)' as suggested by Tomasik (1997), control of pollution, sustainable and controlled tourism, alternative livelihood for the local people, and further research should be immediately undertaken for sustainable utilisation and to save rich biodiversity of this only coral island of Bangladesh. Still there may be time to save the biodiversity and fish resources of this island; otherwise it may be too late. So, all the stakeholders including government policy makers should come forward to save the marine biodiversity of this important island and the livelihood of the local people. For the conservation of biodiversity in the St. Martin's Island the following rules, regulations, policies and management strategies recommended to be done. Moheshkhali has a unique and harmonious atmosphere. Visitors will enjoy the simplicity of the island lifestyle and are guaranteed to meet very colorful characters along the way. How and where to start discovering the magic of Moheshkhali is up to you, but the island will provide an unforgettable journey through one of the most beautiful destinations in Bangladesh. Coxâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bazar is a popular destination for tourists who come to Bangladesh. Its diverse attractions, such as street vendors, large markets and noteworthy sights, see an influx of thousands of visitors each year. But there is one jewel amongst the attractions of Coxâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bazar.

 Conserve and enhance the coral resources around the Island in Bangladesh where this important biological resource is available  Conserve the ecologically important moluscan resources and coral bearing Island of the Country-Narikel Jinjira through measure with the local people’s participation  Conservation of other flora and fauna of the Island. Conservation and Development of Marine Turtle Breeding Ground  Develop viable eco-tourism in the Island  Designate, develop and manage the Island as a marine park in the subsequent stage  Improve the socio-economic status of people of the Island  Establish a marine laboratory to facilitate research on molluscs, coral, flora, fauna and marine ecosystem  Establish necessary institutional set-up in place  Local peoples training on handicraft production like coconut, shell craft & Plaster of Paris.  Community people has been trained to make models of sea animal with coconut shell/wood/ Plaster of Paris, to encourage people/ tourist to buy model items instead of living coral & shell  Construction of motel for eco-tourism  Coconut sapling production & distribution to plant in the island  Socio-economic survey of the island  Training & distribution of energy saving stove for the Island to prevent deforestation

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     

Khan Ali Reza, Fauna of Bangladesh Rashid E. Harun, Survey of Flora and Fauna of Bangladesh Shukla R.S. and Chandal C.S., Plant ecology Sharma R.S., Environmental Biology Ahmed, M (1995), an overview on the coral reef ecosystem of Bangladesh, Bangladesh J. Environ. Sci. Vol 1:67-73 Akhtar, A. (1992). Palynology of Girujan clay, St. Martin's Island, Cox's Bazaar District, Bangladesh. Records of Geological Survey of Bangladesh, Vol.7, Part 2: 1-24. Alam, M. and Hasan, M.Q. (1997). The origin of so-called beach rock of St. Martin Island of Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh, Oriental Geographer. BIWTA (1996). Bangladesh Tide Tables, 1996. Department of Hydrography, Bangladesh Inland water Transport Authority, Dhaka. Chowdhury, S. Q., Haq. F.A.T.M. and Hassan, K. 1992). Coastal geomorphology of St. Marin's Island Oriental Geographer 36(2): 30-44. Municipal data; Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics BBC News-Bangladesh's Cox’s Bazar: A paradise being lost? Tourism and Conservation of Biodiversity: A Case Study of St. Martins Island, Bangladesh Mohammad Mahmudul Hasan

 Bangladesh National Herbarium (up to February, 2014)  Beachrock in St. Martin's Island, Bangladesh: Implications of sea level changes on beachrock cementation  Coral Reef- Tropical Rainforest of Oceans:St Martin's, the only coral island of Bangladesh prey to mindless development  The role of coral reefs -Providing food and shelter for sea creatures  Attractions of Saint Martin’s Island of Bangladesh  Bangladesh: fighting environmental degradation to reduce poverty  Bangladesh's Deep Sea Port @ Moheskhali gains traction  Mushrooming Hotel Trade on St Martin's Flora, fauna of lone coral island under threat 51

 Saving the coral biodiversity of St. Martin's island  Ecosystem health and management of pollution in Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh  Biological aspects of coastal and marine environment of Bangladesh by Md. Shahadat Hossian  Bangladesh climate change impacts and vulnerability by Ahsan Uddin Ahmed  Marine Algae of Saint Martin’s island, Bangladesh by Abdul Aziz and Towhidul Rahman  Biological and ecological aspects of Saint Martin’s coral island, Bangladesh by Abu Hena Mostafa Kamal  Conservation of ecosystem and biodiversity of Saint Martin’s Island in Bangladesh by Marufa Ishaque.  Coastal resources management in Bangladesh, Mohiuddin Ahmed, Nov1994  Bangladesh coastal environment and management, Dr. A. Atiq Rahman  Bangladesher Khaniz Sampad, -Badrul Imam, 1996  Bari, Z. , 2002, Geochemistry and Heavy Mineral study of the Neogene sandstone and Beach sand across Inani-Dakhin Nhila Hill Range, southeast Bangladesh ; M. Sc.,Thesis paper, Department of Geological Sciences, Jahangirnagar University, Savar, Dhaka, Bangladesh, 1-124 p.  Evans, A. M., 1997, An introduction to Economic Geology and its Environmental Impact ; Chapman & Hall Ltd., New York, 192-200 p.  Evans, P., 1932, Tertiary Succession in Assam; Trans. Min. Geol. Ins., India, 206-215 p.  Field note book. Folk, R. L., 1974, Petrology of Sedimentary Rocks; Hemphill Publishing Co., 1-64 p.  Friedman, G. F. and Sanders, J. E., 1978, Principles of Sedimentology; John Willey and Sons, Inc., New York, 58-84 p.  Guha, D. K., 1978, Tectonic Framework and Oil and Gas prospects of Bangladesh;

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Table No-8.1 No.

latitude

Location- 1

20°37′57″N

Location- 2

longitude

salinity

TDS

92°14′38″E 8.3

23.6 ppt

17.28 ×2 g\L

92°14′45″E 8.1

24.3 ppt

17.12 ×2 g\L

92°14′29″E 7.9

24.7 ppt

15.55 ×2 g\L

92°18′53″E 8

25 ppt

16.52 ×2 g\L

20°38′12″N

Location- 3 20°38′11″N

Location- 4 20°37′36″N

Table No-8.2 No.

latitude

longitude

salinity

Turbidity TDS

Location-1

20°34′52 ″N

92°20′22″E 8.2

29.7ppt

.43

16.63 × 2g\L

Location-2

20°34′32 ″N

92°20′13″E 8

29.7ppt

.76

15.43 × 2g\L

Location-3

20°34′55 ″N

92°20′08″E 8

25.2ppt

.76

16.93 × 2g\L

Location-4

20°35′24 ″N

92°20′04″E 7.9

25.2ppt

1.3

15.30 × 2g\L

Location-5

20°34′57 ″N

92°20′17″E 8

25.1ppt

.94

15.57 ×2g\L

Month

Ja Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year n

Average high

28 29 32

32 31 31

32 31

28 31.0

16 18 22

28 29 27

26 22

18 24.0

3 13 38

107 323 790 902 706 389 183 84

°C Average low °C Precipitation mm

25 3,559