Pran Foods
Special initiative inaugurated to preserve biodiversity of St. Martin’s
A special initiative to preserve biodiversity and protect the environment in Saint Martin’s, the only coral-rich island in the country, was inaugurated on Monday morning.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and PRAN-RFL Group have jointly taken up the initiative, titled ‘Saint Martin’s Environmental Conservation and Sustainable Economy’.
Muhammad Solaiman Haider, Director of the Department of Environment, inaugurated the initiative through an event on Saint Martin’s Island.
While delivering the inaugural speech, Mohammed Solaiman Haider identified uncontrolled tourist traffic, unplanned construction of facilities, environmental pollution, and lack of awareness among tourists as threats to the environment and biodiversity of Saint Martin’s Island.
He praised the joint initiative of PRAN-RFL and UNDP to protect the balance of the environment, as only such steps can keep the island alive.
Kamruzzaman Kamal, Marketing Director of PRAN-RFL Group, said they have taken the initiative to help protect the marine ‘blue economy’, preserve the environment of St. Martin's Island, and ensure a sustainable economy.
He said under the initiative, the wastes will be collected from Saint Martin’s Island for recycling at PRAN-RFL Group's Habiganj Industrial Park and Danga Industrial Park.
The group will also set up Saint Martin’s Exclusive corners in its retail shops to help in selling marine fish and dried fish collected by fishermen of the island, Kamruzzaman Kamal said.
He said steps will also be taken to preserve rainwater so that the residents of the island can get safe drinking water.
Besides, tree plantation activities will be conducted in different places on the island to maintain the balance of the environment.
Earlier, a beach cleaning programme was held to create awareness among the islanders and tourists to prevent pollution in the environment on Monday morning.
More than five hundred tourists and people from different walks of life on the island participated in this event in collaboration with PRAN-RFL Group and My Saint Martin’s.
Participants cleaned the garbage lying on the beach from the ship wharf of St. Martin's Island to the west beach of the island.
UNDP's Head of Experimentation Dr. Ramiz Uddin, PRAN-RFL Group’s Head of Corporate Brand Nurul Afsar, Head of Sustainability Sumaiya Tabassum Ahmed, UNDP Data Analytics Officer Ahmed Ullah Kabir, representatives of My St. Martin's, and local dignitaries were present, among others, at the events.
