LocationsIntegrating community voices with national policy to protect biodiversity and promote sustainable livelihoods
Speakers Call for Urgent, Integrated Master Plan to Safeguard Saint Martin
January 6, 2026
Senior government officials and development partners join a strategic consultation workshop on the Saint Martin’s Island Master Plan, focusing on integrating grassroots evidence with national policy to safeguard Bangladesh’s only coral island.
©UNDP Bangladesh
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), organised a Consultation Workshop on the Saint Martin’s Island Master Plan: Integrating Grassroots Evidence with National Strategy, today at a hotel in Dhaka.
The key objective of the workshop was to review and strengthen the draft Master Plan by bringing together evidence from local communities with national policy priorities. The consultation aimed to ensure that future 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.
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 provided a structured platform to identify gaps, validate proposed actions, and align conservation goals with sustainable livelihood opportunities.
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. Against this backdrop, the Master Plan is designed as a long-term strategic framework to balance environmental protection with socio-economic resilience.
Syeda Rizwana Hasan, Honourable Adviser to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and the Ministry of Water Resources, delivers her remarks at the Strategic Consultation Workshop on the Saint Martin’s Island Master Plan, calling for urgent, coordinated action to protect the island’s fragile ecosystem.
©UNDP Bangladesh
In her remarks as the Chief Guest, Syeda Rizwana Hasan, Honorable Advisor to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and the Ministry of Water Resources, underscored the urgency of coordinated action to protect the island’s fragile ecosystem. She 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, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), 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 UNDP, mentioned “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, and development partners & researcher to work together to turn this plan into action and make Saint Martin’s Island a model for sustainable island management”
Among others, Dr. Md. Kamruzzaman, ndc, Director General, Department of Environment, A K M Azad Rahman, UNDP, also spoke.
The workshop featured thematic breakout sessions on ecology and conservation, infrastructure and waste management, tourism and governance, and livelihoods and social development. Participants shared challenges, identified priority actions, and proposed recommendations to improve the draft Master Plan.
The consultation marked an important 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.
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