DiCaprio praises Bangladesh on new marine protected area around St Martin‍‍`s

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Cox Gazette January 23, 2022, 03:41 AM

''Thanks to a partnership between the Government of Bangladesh, local communities and NGOs, a newly established Marine Protected Area (MPA) around Saint Martin’s Island will protect an incredible community of biodiversity and provide key habitat for Bangladesh’s only coral reef.''

Famed American actor, environmentalist and philanthropist Leonardo DiCaprio has congratulated the Bangladesh government, local communities and NGOs concerned for establishing a Marine Protected Area around Saint Martin's Island.

The Oscar-winning actor is identified as one of the most active celebrities in the climate change movement. 

He praises Bangladesh Govt. For this inatiative He says ''  This newly declared marine protected area spans 672 square miles on Bangladesh’s southernmost tip. The tropical waters are home to the country’s only corals, as well as pods of elusive Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins and endangered whale sharks, now sheltered by the region’s newest protected area.''

Next steps will be to develop a science-based, community-informed management plan, raise awareness about regulations in the MPA, build capacity for conducting government and community-led enforcement and monitoring patrols, controlling domestic waste, and beginning to restore degraded corals.
 

In addition to the previously declared 590 hectares of ecologically critical area, the new 70 metres deep marine protected area has been declared to prevent uncontrolled movement of water vessels, overfishing, dumping of waste and chemicals, and destruction of coral reefs and biodiversity.

The newly declared protected area will help conserve the endangered pink dolphins, sharks, ray fish, sea turtles, seabirds, corals, marine grasses and marine biodiversity and their habitats.

It will also help improve the livelihoods of local people through sustainable extraction of marine resources, enrich the national blue economy, and achieve the international obligations and targets related to the special economic zone of Bangladesh.

The declaration of this marine protected area will facilitate the proper enforcement of the law and proper management of marine resources with the help of law enforcement agencies deployed in and around the island. 

At the same time, the possibility of increasing the abundance of marine fish resources and aquatic life outside the protected area will be multiplied.