The document summarizes the ecosystem of Saint Martin Island located in Bangladesh. It describes the island's location in the Bay of Bengal and its key habitats including rocky areas, sand dunes and beaches, lagoons and wetlands, mangroves, and mudflats. It then discusses the island's flora including trees, palms, mangroves and shrubs. Finally, it outlines the main fauna found on the island such as echinoderms, corals, molluscs, crustaceans, fish, reptiles, birds, and mammals. The island contains a diverse ecosystem but development pressures are threatening some species and habitats. Coordinated conservation efforts are needed to protect the island's biodiversity

1. ECOSYSTEM OF
SAINT MARTIN

2. Prepared BY
 MD. INJA-MAMUN HAQUE
 ABDUR RAZZAK HASAN
 TAHTAIHAL ENAM BORNO
 SAGORIKA SMIRITY
 CHANDAN KAR
 WAHID AL MASUD

3. Location
St. martin Island
 located in the northest of the Bay of
Bengal
 about 9 km. south of the Cox’s Bazar-
Teknaf peninsular tip and
 about 8 km. west of the northwest coast of
Myanmar at the mouth of the Naf River.
 South-eastern most point of Bangladesh.
 The Island between latitude 20034’ and
20039' N and longitude 92018' and 92021'
E.

4. AREA
 The area of the Island is about 5.9 km2
 with the rocky platforms extending into
the sea the
 total area of the Island about 12 km2
 five distinct physiographic areas within
the Island.

5. PARTS OF SAINT
MARTIN
 Uttar para Northen para
 Golachipa Connecting Uttar para
and Madhya para.
 Madhya para South of Golachipa
 Dakhin para Next to the South
 Cheradia Southern most tip

7. ECOSYSTEM
 St. Martin Island show a transition from
terrestrial to marine habitats by the
cross section of the different habitats
The key habitats are
(a) Rocky habitat
(b)Flora
(c)Fauna

8. Rocky Habitat
 The rocky land at the south of dakhin para
 and west of the coast guard base.
 The rocky habitats gradually decrease due to
 the removal of rocks and boulders for agriculture.
 These create a limited ecological and biodiversity
interest.

9. Sand dunes and beach
 The sand dunes beach protects the local
people predicting sea level rises.
 The beach is the breeding habitat for turtles
and wintering habitat for shorebirds.
Dunes
 Dune act as a filter for rain water as
 it recharges the ground water
 and prevent sand being blown inland by
winds.
 Erosion of dune is accelerated by winter wind.

11. Lagoons and wetlands
Three lagoons on the Island.
The lagoon of Dakhin Para is protected by
-widespread boulders
-and stone corals.
. The location of the wetlands in the
southern part of the island
-have been reduced

12. Mangrove habitat
 The mangrove known as environmentally
critical area.
 29 mangrove species were recorded
 nine common.
 In 1996 there are 2.9 ha. of mangrove area
recorded.
 The main species of mangrove
- Acanthus ilicifolius,
-Avicennia marina,
- Hibiscus tiliceous.

13. Mudflats
 The mudflats area (Gaitta Banya) located
at the southern end of the western beach.
 many invertebrates found here.
 The mudflat only habitat for
colubrine Amphibious Sea snake (Laticauda
colubrines)
-supports mud crabs and a large population
of fiddler crabs

15. Other inertidal habitat (150-250
ha.)
 Intertidal gastropod
 Coral algal
 Sea grass algal
Soft coral
 Soft bottom mud (east coast benthic
communities,from inshore to offshore)

16.  The lower inter-tidal area host for
-corals,
-molluscus
-echinoderm,
-crabs
-algae.
It also helps for small reef fish by providing
rocky pools.

17.  Marine habitats:
- diverse coral communities in the rocky
sub-tidal habitat.
- There are 66 spp. Of corals (14 soft
coral) of 22 genera a found here.
- Sea grass meadows and algal flora
associated with extensive coral reefs.

18. Flora
 Terresstrial vegetation:
- Following loss of the orginal forest
-continuing intensive agriculture
-recent increased number of tourists
- further change the vegetation
results in the loss of many flora and fauna
species.
There are 260 plant ,150 herbs, 25
shurbs,32climber 53 trees 151 benthic and
drift algal,18 bryophytes spp. found.

20.  Trees:
Naturally occuring trees
-two species of pandanus (keya)
- and one species of streblus dominate
here.

22. Palm Trees
 cocus nucifera (narikel),
 plam areca catechu (supari),
 Asian plam Boarassus flabellifer (taal),
 Phoenix Sylvestris (Khejur)
the main palm trees here.
There 15000 coconut trees here.
Local people use it for antigen
stimulating and laxatives.

23. Moraceae:
Sterblus asper (shaora)known as
khoi,tooth brush tree
It important for
- paper makin
- and to treat fever and dirrhoea.

25.  Mangrove species:
 The mangrove associated are Acanthus
ilicifolius, Hibiscus tiliceous,
Clerodendrum inerme, Streblus asper
and Vitex trifoliata (formed by rocks).

27.  Shurbs and herbs:
 Vitex trifolea (nil nishinda) and Vitex
negundo (aromatic shrub) are found
here. This plant has anti bacterial, anti
fungal and analgenic properites and
used by local people to treat rheumatic
fever.

28. Screwpines:
 Two spp. used for sand dune formation
found
-Pandanus fascicularis(keya)
-p. foetidus (keyawata) here.

29. Herbs:
 The main herbs
Ipomea Pescaprae (Shagor lota).
- It grows upper parts of beaches
- and endures salt spray

30. Fauna
Echinoderms:
 Nine species belonging to eight genera are found
here.
 This combined
-Sea urchins (4),
-Sea star (1),
- Nudi branch (3),
- - Sea cucumber (1).
Some example
- Echinotrix diadema,
- Chromodoris spp.
- Holothuria atra.

31. Cnidaria:
 66 species of 22 genera have been
recorded. eg.
- Porites, Favites,
- Cyphastrea,
- Goniastrea
- Soft coral belong to the subclass
octocoralia. eg. Gorgonin,
- Sea fans, Sea whips and some
anthozoans (Nemanthus spp, Telemactis
spp.) found here.

34. Molluscs:
 187 spp. are recorded (44 spp.
gastropuds and rest bivalves) most
abundant.
 Two economically important gastropuds
that aheavily depleted worldwide
- Trochus niloticus,
- Turbo marmuratus

36. Crustaceans:
 12 spp. of crab have been recorded.
 Most abundant
- Red egg crab,
- Moon crab (mututa lunaris),
-mud crab(Scylla serrata),
- horshoe crab.
Two species of fiddler crab marsh or mud
fiddler and sand fiddler.

38. Fish:
 234 spp. of fish have been recorded (89 coral
associated spp. and 16 freshwater)
 the most abundant fish
-damsel fish,
-parrot fish,
-surgeon fish,
- predators,
- snappers and
- emperors.
Five spp. of butterfly and one spp. of angel fish
(pamacanthus

40. annularis) found
World largest fish whale shark
(Rhincodon typus)
and Hammerhead shark (Sphyma spp.)
found which globally vulnerave to
extinction.

41. Reptiles and Amphibians:
 27 reptiles spp. have been recorded.
 Three spp. of turtles olive ridley, hawksbill and
green are known to the nest on the island.
 six spp. of terrestrial and freshwater snakes,
several lizards and 4 spp. of fresh water turtle
recorded.
 The important amphibians are
-common Asian toad (Bufo melanstictus),
-shipper frog,
-Indian Bull frog and
- spotted frog recorded.

43. Birds:
 85 spp. of birds (35 resident spp. and 50
migratory spp.) recorded. eg.
-common sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos),
- Indian pond Heron (Ardeola grayii).
The decline in wintering water birds includin
g shorebirds can be attributed to
- the loss of wilderness and
- -expansion of agriculture.

45. Mammals:
 19 spp. have been recorded during
survey in 1995-96.
- Indopacific Humphacked Dolphin (Sousa
chinenis),
- Bottle nose dolphin

46. Irrawaddy Dolphin Orcaella
brevirostris (Vulnerable)

47. Some species of conservation
significance:
 All spp. of marine algal treates as
nationality threatened spp.
- marine turtle spp. globally threatened with
extinction.
- The number of wintering migratory birds
have declined.
- Considerably and is thought to be a direct
result of increasing human use of the
shoreline.

48.  It is the only coral bearing island of
Bangladesh.
 Government of Bangladesh has declared
the island as an Ecologically Critical Area.
 Local and national awareness, government
and private sector cooperation are
essential for the conservation and
sustainability of this exclusive ecosystem

49.  It was noted that buying and selling land
has pushed the price of limited land up.
 Valuable mangrove and hills have been
cleared and cut down for holiday
cottages or hotel purpose.
 Recent environmental requisites have
not been well coordinated or explained
to the people.

50.  While Shipping ministry and Tourism
ministry tend to encourage tourism,
 the government now needs to come up
with special policy for St. Martin’s and
implement it.
 Thus we can save St. martin ecosystem

51. Thank
you