Biodiversity at risk on Sonadia Island

A Correspondent :

Sonadia Island is one of the biodiversity hotspot of Bangladesh. In 1995, the Government of Bangladesh included a provision for the declaration of Ecologically Critical Area (ECA) in the Bangladesh Environment Conservation Act. Twelve sites are classified as ECAs and guidelines exist to control further damage to these areas. Sonadia is considered ecologically important by the government and in 1999 was declared as an ECA under Environmental Act of 1995.
It is separated from the mainland of Cox’s Bazar by Maheshkhali canal. The epic forest, the sea blue water, the Kaya forests, the red crab, the sea birds, and the different types of sea birds will fly in the heart of the tourists. This island has been selected to build the deep sea port of Bangladesh.
Sonadia Island is located on the south-east corner of Bangladesh. The island is unique for wintering shorebirds specially the globally critically endangered Spoon-bill sandpiper, one of the rarest migratory birds in the world, with a population of just 300-350 pairs left in the wild (Zöckler, 2006). Lying within the East Asian-Australasian Flyway, Sonadia is used by migratory birds as a stopover during their long migration further south.
The island provides breeding areas for four globally threatened species of marine turtles, and serves as a significant bird refuge for over 80 migratory species. In addition, its inshore waters are feeding grounds for a number of globally threatened marine mammals, such as the Irrawaddy and Bottlenose dolphins.
Sonadia Island supports the last remnants of special mangrove forests, which once stretched along most of the coastline of Chittagong and Cox’s Bazar. These mangrove species are different from those found in the Sundarbans and can tolerate higher levels of salinity.
The island supports a large number of marine turtles, water birds, mollusks and echinoderms.The government is considering to establish a deep water sea-port at Sonadia island and a coal-based thermal power plant at Hoanok Union near Sonadia Island, Moheshkhali, in Cox’s Bazar.
Sonadia Island, a nine-square kilometre small island in the Bay of Bengal, is likely to lose its ‘virginity’ as the authorities concerned are building an eco-tourism park there, according to local people and environmentalists.
An island is called virgin when the landscape of the island remains natural.Urbanisation like lighting, high-rise buildings and high density of population costs an island its virginity, according to people who work on biodiversity.
The island the smallest local government unit under Moheshkhali of Cox’s Bazar district is an ideal place for some endangered species, animals and birds. They are olive ridley sea turtle, spoon-billed sandpiper and red-crabs.Besides, many species of birds migrate here during winter season.
In 1999, the government declared it an “ecologically critical area (ECA)” to protect wildlife and promote biodiversity.The ECA is an environmentally protected zone where the ecosystem is considered to reach a critical condition by the changes brought through various human activities.
But the Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (BEZA) has acquired it by paying a token amount of Tk 1,001 to build an eco-tourism park, according to Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) of Moheskhali Jamirul Islam.Currently, the BEZA has restricted movement of people on the island as it is likely to begin the implementation phase of the park, the BEZA people concerned have said.
They also said Indian business behemoth Mahindra Group is expected to build the park at a cost of Tk 1.5 billion. According to the BEZA plan, about ten luxury hotels, two golf courses, and two tennis courts will be built there to attract tourists. It will also build some recreational units.The economic zone-promoting organization will, however, keep some lands green as part of conservancy.
When contacted, BEZA Executive Chairman Paban Chowdhury told that Sonadia Eco-Tourism Park would turn into a new tourism city like Cox’s Bazar city. “We have already created a master plan and completed the initial survey,” the BEZA chief said.He said that the BEZA would create many facilities on the island and assign security forces to prevent further land encroachment.
Mr Chowdhury said that in order to keep the island eco-friendly, only 25 per cent of the land would be used for the planned park without affecting the environment.
On the other hand, environmentalists say that this will be another Saint Martin’s Island after the construction of the planned park. They said nature will take revenge if people do not take proper care of it.
Each species — no matter how small has an important role to play for the betterment of the earth.Syeda Rizwana Hasan, a Bangladeshi attorney and environmentalist, has told that there is no example of conserving an area by building an eco-park.
Ms Hasan, also chief executive of Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA), said that huge development work on the virgin island would seriously impact its ecological structure. She said that arrival of tourists and construction of high rise buildings are believed to be having a bad impact on the environmentally critical island. “Eco-tourism brings bad impact for the ECA area,” Rizwana said.Ibrahim Khalil Mamun, chief executive of Youth Environment Society (YES), said that Sonadia Island would lose its attraction to many tourists who prefer natural environment.
“The turtles, crabs and rare species of birds attract many to the island,” Mr Mamun said. mEnam Ul Haque, president of Bangladesh Bird Club, said that spoonbill birds are rare in the world. “Now there are around 25 such birds on the island,” he said.
When contacted, Moheshkali Upazila UNO Jamirul Islam told that BEZA had acquired the entire island for development work last year. “Development work is now going on in the island,” the UNO said.
Kajol Akter, the lone union council member at the island, told this correspondent that the natural beauty would no more exist afterimplementation of the eco-tourism park. “We fought to conserve it but all attempts went in vain,” she said.Currently, the island has some makeshift structures of around 2,500 people, mostly belonging to fisherpeople, according to the country’s population census of 2011.