DoomsdaysCWNew tourism restrictions to protect #Bangladesh’s unique #wetlands and #coral-rich island
by Abu Siddique
14 Oct 2024
"In a bid to protect #biodiversity hotspots in the country, Bangladesh plans to restrict tourism and introduce environment-friendly guidelines and directions for tourists visiting the Ecologically Critical Areas (#ECAs).
"The coral reef-rich #SaintMartinsIsland and one of the largest #haors — a type of wetland #ecosystem — in the country, #TanguarHaor, known to be a habitat for breeding fish and waterfowls, will soon see the first restrictions on tourism.
"Syeda Rizwana Hasan, the newly appointed advisor for the environment, forest and #ClimateChange ministry, said, 'Initially, we will impose restrictions on night stays at Saint Martin’s Island to reduce the pressure on the island soon. Gradually, we will increase the level of restrictions as well as the number of ECAs under tourism restrictions.'
"She added that some of these restrictions would include banning the use of single-use plastic, minimizing the number of visitors and banning all kinds of tourism during the breeding season of the region’s #wildlife.
"'After implementing the tourism restrictions on the coral-rich island, we will focus on Tanguar Haor,' she said, adding that the government is working with different stakeholders, including tour operators and local communities, to find a #sustainable way to protect these ecologically important areas.
"Since 1999, Bangladesh has declared 13 biodiversity-rich areas as ECAs under the Environment Protection Act, 1995. According to the ECA rules, any development work and other activities like tourism that threaten biodiversity and ecology are strictly prohibited in the ECAs.
"However, the former governments had failed to conserve the ECAs over the years, though some protection measures have been put in place in Saint Martin’s Island, Tanguar Haor, #HakalukiHaor, #CoxsBazarBeach, the #Sundarbans and #SonadiaIsland through different projects.
"The new non-political government, formed by civil society members in August following the collapse of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government, plans to implement the ECA rules to protect the biodiversity hotspots."
New tourism restrictions to protect Bangladesh’s unique wetlands and coral-rich island
In a bid to protect biodiversity hotspots in the country, Bangladesh plans to restrict tourism and introduce environment-friendly guidelines and directions for tourists visiting the Ecologically Critical Areas (ECAs). The coral reef-rich Saint Martin’s Island and one of the largest haors — a type of wetland ecosystem — in the country, Tanguar Haor, known to […]