Tk 3.38 cr project launched to restore biodiversity of Sonadia Island
Red crabs are roaming around Sonadia Island. Photo: BSS
By Ibrahim Khalil Mamun
COX’S BAZAR, Nov 6, 2025 (BSS) – The interim government has undertaken a Tk 3.38 crore project to restore the biodiversity of Sonadia Island, rich in mangrove forests and diverse wildlife.
The Department of Environment has conducted preliminary surveys on the island and consulted local residents to gather suggestions for biodiversity restoration and livelihood improvement.
Sources at the Cox’s Bazar District office of the Department of Environment said a project titled ‘Enhancing the capacity of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, the Department of Environment and the Forest Department for natural resource management and climate resilience’ has been taken.
Under the project, illegal occupants will be evicted, river mouths and branches will be cleared to facilitate tidal water flow, sandbars and beaches will be restored and mangrove and non-mangrove saplings will be planted.
Long-term plans for environmental restoration of the island will also be developed. The initial cost of the project has been estimated at Tk 3.38 crore.
To implement the project, a monitoring team led by Fahmida Hoque Khan, Deputy Secretary (Planning-2) of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, visited Sonadia Island on October 26.
During the visit, the team inspected different areas of the island and consulted with local residents about environmental conservation, biodiversity protection and livelihood improvement.
The team included Khondaker Mahmud Pasha, Deputy Director (Current Charge) of the Department of Environment, Cox’s Bazar.
Khondaker Mahmud Pasha told BSS that local residents provided suggestions on how to restore the island’s lost environment and biodiversity and improve their livelihoods.
The government will work based on these suggestions, he added.
He said, “It is unacceptable to see such a beautiful island destroyed. That is why the government has taken multifaceted initiatives to restore Sonadia Island. Once implemented, these efforts will bring back the island’s lost environment and biodiversity.”
Sonadia, a small island located 12 kilometers from Cox’s Bazar city at the mouth of the Bay of Bengal, covers an area of 9,000 square kilometers with mangrove and coastal forests.
The island was once home to red crabs on the beaches, sea turtles laying eggs, and hundreds of bird species including the now-extinct Sand Piper.
Large-scale shrimp farms have destroyed mangrove forests and illegal occupation and pollution have threatened rare species of birds, trees and shrubs.
In 2017, the Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (BEZA) was allocated the island’s land for an eco-tourism park at a nominal cost of Tk 1,001.
A master plan was prepared by an Indian firm, Mahindra Engineering.
Following this, tree cutting and shrimp farming caused severe environmental damage and several cases were filed by the Department of Environment.
At the request of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan, the Ministry of Land canceled the land allocation to BEZA on May 5, returning 9,467 acres of land to the Forest Department.
Advocate Mujibul Haq, Chairman of Cox’s Bazar-based Youth Environment Society (YES), said the island was once home to 567 plant species, 152 mollusk species, 21 crab species, nine shrimp species, 207 fish species, 12 amphibians, 19 reptiles and 206 bird species.
Climate change and environmental degradation have caused many species to disappear, and the island’s biodiversity remains under threat, he said.
He added that if the government’s project is successfully implemented, Sonadia Island’s biodiversity will be restored, playing a crucial role in protecting Bangladesh’s environment.