Master plan on St. Martin’s: Limiting daily tourists to 500-900
Staff Reporter :
The draft Master Plan of Saint Martin’s Island has recommended capping tourist arrivals at approximately 500 to 900 visitors per day within designated zones of the country’s only coral island.
The objective is to curb ecological degradation and restore environmental balance.
The plan also advises restricting tourism activities to a 4.1 km stretch of beach classified as the General Use Zone to ensure that conservation areas remain undisturbed.
Tourism remains the main draw of Saint Martin’s Island, particularly during the peak season from September to April, when daily footfall reaches between 3,000 and 7,000 visitors.
However, the island’s limited land area-just 590 hectares-cannot sustainably support such high tourist pressure.
This volume far surpasses the island’s carrying capacity, leading to development patterns that exceed sustainable limits.
As a result, the island faces multiple environmental and social stresses, including rising waste and sewage generation, poor drainage facilities, unchecked expansion of resorts and restaurants, habitat loss, coral extraction, persistent local poverty, limited alternative livelihoods, unplanned physical infrastructure, and inadequate energy and eco-friendly transport systems. These cumulative pressures have strained both the island’s fragile ecosystems and the socio-economic wellbeing of the resident community.
Formulated by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, the Saint Martin’s Master Plan provides a comprehensive framework outlining a long-term vision, spatial planning principles, core development components, business logic, delivery strategies, and implementation guidelines.
The plan integrates both physical and non-physical interventions, placing balanced emphasis on socioeconomic advancement and sustainable natural resource management.
Based on community needs and priority issues, the plan identifies nine key sectors, which together comprise 26 targeted programmes to be implemented by relevant agencies.
The identified sectors include:
# Sustainable Tourism Management
# Conservation of Fish Resources and Benthic Communities
# Protection of Coral Resources and Associated Flora and Fauna
# Conservation of Turtles and Nesting Sites
# Development and Preservation of Terrestrial Flora and Fauna
# Waste Management
# Groundwater Management
# Improvement of Internal Road Connectivity and Green Infrastructure
# Livelihood Enhancement Initiatives
Implementation activities are categorised into short-term (1-3 years), medium-term (1-5 years), and long-term (1-10 years) phases.
The plan proposes a total investment of Tk 547.9 million, allocated as follows:
# Tk 194.5 million for 12 high-priority programmes
# Tk 115.0 million for 3 top-priority initiatives
# Tk 138.4 million for 8 medium-priority actions
# Tk 100 million for 3 low-priority activities
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change is set to receive the major share of funding. Implementation will include public-sector projects pending government approval and ADP allocation, along with private-sector participation in areas such as biodiversity protection, waste management, sustainable tourism, and coral reef preservation. This integrated approach is intended to ensure coordinated and sustainable development of the island.
The draft master plan-prepared to curb unplanned tourism, safeguard the island’s fragile environment, and ensure sustainable management-has been published on the ministry’s website (www.moefcc.gov.bd) for public review.
All relevant ministries, departments, agencies, stakeholders, and citizens have been invited to submit written feedback on the draft by December 20 to the email address: [email protected]