Dhaka, Jan 28: Bangladesh today listed its sole Coral Island in the Bay of Bengal as endangered, limiting construction in the area which is being increasingly developed.
The environment and forest ministry declared St Martin's island an "ecologically endangered zone" in order "to protect the biodiversity and excellent natural beauties of the island."

"The ecosystem of the island has been endangered and it might worsen further in the future owing to the unplanned activities in the coral-rich island," the ministry said in a statement. The directive bans the collection of sand and coral rock, snails, tortoises, cockle or duckweed from the island and prohibits all construction without authorisation.

St. Martin's, a small island on Bangladesh's southeastern tip, was once the domain only of aquatic life and fishermen. But developers have been buying land up in recent years as the island draws an increasing number of tourists. Bureau Report