Bangladesh's only coral-bearing island, St Martin's, is seeing cleaner beaches, quieter nights and clearer waters as stricter government rules begin to bite. With tourism curbed, the Bangladesh Navy is maintaining round-the-clock security while enforcing environmental regulations across the island and its surrounding bay.
Studies have identified at least 1,076 species of biodiversity on St Martin's Island, including corals, seaweed, turtles, shellfish, marine fish, birds, mammals and crabs, making it one of the country's most sensitive ecological zones. The Navy is playing a frontline role in protecting these marine resources and ensuring compliance with conservation measures.
As part of the crackdown, the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change imposed a nine-month suspension on vessel services to the island, effectively cutting it off from tourism until November.
Early signs of ecological recovery are already visible. In recent days, large numbers of snails and oysters have washed ashore. Local residents say the changes may be linked to the island remaining largely undisturbed for more than a month after the tourist season ended.
A visible layer of snail and oyster shells has settled along the shoreline. Turtle nesting activity has increased, while mangrove forests in different parts of the island are showing signs of regeneration as human and vehicular movement has dropped sharply.
Locals also report a rise in Olive Ridley turtles coming ashore to lay eggs. Restrictions on artificial lighting and loudspeakers-long known to deter turtles-have helped, while authorities are now guarding nests and eggs from stray dogs that previously destroyed them.
St Martin's sandy beaches are a crucial nesting ground for endangered turtles. In recent years, however, unregulated construction, mass tourism and pollution have pushed the fragile ecosystem to the brink.
