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Feud over 2 pristine isles

Environment ministry calls tourism's 'development' bid disastrous

Rezaul Karim
T\vo ministries are at daggers drawn over til e right to de vclop two pristine islands in the Bay in their own, quite opposing, ways.
While the tourism ministry has persistently been demanding the right to build some exclusive tourist zones on the isles -- Sonadia and Cheradia - the environment ministry is dead set against any such conventional tourism schemes in tin- ecologically critical islands, where it has already initiated a few bio-diversity protection projects.
After an inter-ministerial meeting had rejected its proposal on June
16 last year, the tourism ministry in a fresh bid called another inter-ministerial meeting for last Tuesday, which its rival shunned. The meeting was postponed.
Sonadia, a 2,965.37-acre island under Mohcshkhali upazila in Cox's Bazar district, has been officially declared as an ecologically critical area. Some 2,122 acres of the island have been given to the Forest Department to develop a reserve forest. The island already has a natural forest oh 1,200 acres and the Forest Department has begun an afforestation programme on another 400 acres of land with domestic funds.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has undertaken another project in Sonadia to expand its forest and sustain its bio-diversity with aTk30-crore financial assistance from the Global Environment Facilities (GEF) under the Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD). Bangladesh is one of the 165 countries that signed the CBD in 1994.
The Ministry of Environment and Forest, which plans to develop eco-tourism in the island,' has banned extraction and collection of any resources from Sonadia.
The other isle, Cheradia, of an area of only 18.70 acres is a part of the St Manin's Eland. It E a coral sanctuary, houses 89 species of fish and has no human habitation.
Besides enhancing the already rich bio-dlversity, the environment ministry plans to build thecountry's first marine parkin Cheradia.
The environment ministry with financial assistance from the GEF has been implementing a number of projects since 2002 to protect the forests and bio-diversity of St Martin's Island, Sonadia, Cox’s Bazar and Teknaf beaches, and Hakaluki Haor, Environment MinEterlbriqul Elam toldThe Daily Star.
He said Sonadia is rich in mangrove forest and is a sanctuary to guest birds and sea tortoEe. His minEtry has taken steps to conserve its eco-system, forest and the overall environment.
The minEtry is aEo implementing a project with an eco-tourism component, he said, adding there E no need to build a conventional tourism centre there.
On the other hand, the MinEtry of Civil Aviation and Tourism in its latest proposal sent to the environment ministry sought the two islands stressing the need for building environment-friendly tourism centres there.