Protecting Saint Martin’s Island requires urgent and coordinated efforts, said Syeda Rizwana Hasan, adviser to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and the Ministry of Water Resources, at a consultation workshop on the Saint Martin’s Island Master Plan: Integrating Grassroots Evidence with National Strategy on Tuesday in Dhaka.
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), in collaboration with the Department of Environment (DoE) and with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), organized the workshop to review and strengthen the draft Master Plan by integrating evidence from local communities with national policy priorities. The consultation aimed to ensure interventions for Saint Martin’s Island are practical, inclusive, and grounded in the lived realities of the island’s residents while safeguarding its globally significant ecosystem.
Rizwana Hasan said: "Protecting Saint Martin’s Island requires urgent, coordinated action grounded in evidence-based planning. Meaningful engagement with local communities and strong cross-sector coordination will be critical to ensuring the Master Plan delivers lasting environmental protection and sustainable development."
Farhina Ahmed, secretary of MoEFCC, added: "Saint Martin’s Island is a unique asset not only for Bangladesh, but for the planet — a gift of nature that we are entrusted to use responsibly, not to destroy. We call on all stakeholders to actively participate in its implementation so that, together, we can secure a sustainable future for the island."
Sonali Dayaratne, deputy resident representative of UNDP, said: "This Master Plan presents a vital opportunity to protect biodiversity while strengthening community livelihoods, but only through collective action. We call on government, the private sector, civil society, development partners, and researchers to work together to turn this plan into action and make Saint Martin’s Island a model for sustainable island management."
Other speakers included Dr Md Kamruzzaman, director general of the Department of Environment, and AKM Azad Rahman from UNDP.
Participants, including senior government officials, local authorities, development partners, researchers, private sector representatives, civil society organizations, and community leaders, took part in the discussions. The workshop featured thematic breakout sessions on ecology and conservation, infrastructure and waste management, tourism and governance, and livelihoods and social development, where participants shared challenges, identified priority actions, and proposed recommendations to improve the draft Master Plan.
Saint Martin’s Island, declared an Ecologically Critical Area (ECA) in 1999, continues to face mounting pressures from unregulated tourism, biodiversity loss, unsustainable resource use, and climate-induced risks. The Master Plan is designed as a long-term strategic framework to balance environmental protection with socio-economic resilience.
The consultation marked a key step toward finalizing a comprehensive and implementable Master Plan that reflects both grassroots perspectives and national development objectives. The finalized Saint Martin’s Island Master Plan is expected to be completed in early 2026 and will guide long-term efforts to protect the island’s ecological integrity while supporting sustainable local development.
