The government has declared 1743 square kilometres of the Bay of Bengal, adjacent to St. Martin Island, as a protected area to prevent biodiversity loss.
“1743 sq km of the Bay of Bengal area adjacent to St. Martin Island in addition to the previously declared 590 hectares of ecologically critical area, has been declared as St. Martin Marine Protected Area,” according to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
The decision was taken in order to prevent uncontrolled ships and motorboats, overfishing of fishery resources, dumping of waste and harmful chemicals in the sea, destruction of coral colonies, depletion of biodiversity, the ministry said in its decision on Wednesday.
Under the Sections 13 (1) and 13 (2) of the Wildlife (Conservation and Protection) Act, 2012, declared the area as ‘St. Martin Marine Protected Area’. This Marine Protected Area is by far the largest and second Marine Protected Area in the country, said the environment ministry.
It aims to help in the conservation of the endangered pink dolphins, sharks, ray fish, sea turtles, seabirds, corals, marine grasses, and marine biodiversity and their habitats as a result of the declaration of St. Martin Marine Protected Area.
The decision will also help improve the livelihoods of indigenous peoples through sustainable extraction of marine fisheries resources, enrich the national blue economy and achieve the international obligations and targets related to the special economic zone of Bangladesh, expect the ministry.
The decision came amid the expert call for the conservation of the coral and marine aquatic life and marine biodiversity of St. Martin's Island.
The ministry said it will facilitate the proper enforcement of the law and proper management of the protected area with the help of law enforcement agencies operating in and around the island.
Moreover, limiting sustainable extraction of marine resources from this protected area will result in increased marine fish resources and aquatic animal breeding in the protected area.
At the same time, the possibility of increasing the abundance of marine fish resources and aquatic life outside the protected area will be multiplied.
Above all, the development of conservation and management of Marine Protected Areas will facilitate the achievement of SDG target 14.5.1 as well as enrich the national Blue Economy.
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