Environmental Hazards and Conservation Approach to the Biodiversity and Ecosystem of the St. Martin’s Island in Bangladesh - Management of Natural Resources in a Changing Environment - page 251

Mudfl ats
Within the inter-tidal zone there is a small mudfl at area (known as Gaitta Banya)
located at the southern end of the western beach. The mudfl at is also the only habitat
on the island for the yellow-lipped Sea Krait or Colubrine Amphibious Sea Snake
( Laticauda colubrine ) and also supports mud crabs and a large population of fi ddler
crabs (UNDP 2010 ).
Marine Habitats
The shallow water marine habitats include rocky and sandy intertidal habitats,
offshore lagoons, rocky sub-tidal habitats, coral aggregations, seagrass beds, soft
coral habitats and offshore soft-bottom habitats (Quader 2010 ). The extensive algal
and seagrass beds in the island's coastal waters are highly productive and diverse
and may be important spawning and/or nursery grounds for a number of economically
important fi sh and shell fi sh species (Kamal 2008 ). There are only a few examples
worldwide where coral communities dominate rock reefs; St Martin's Island
provides a unique set of environmental conditions (biotic and abiotic) not found
elsewhere in Bangladesh and perhaps not in the world.
Resourceful Biodiversity
Floral Diversity
Though many species of fl ora have disappeared, St. Martin's Island still has quite
diverse vegetation because the remaining native species have been supplemented by
a considerable number of cultivated and introduced species. Recent fl oral surveys
have recorded 150 herbs, 32 climbers, 25 shrubs and 53 trees, belonging to 58 families
(Quader 2010 ; UNDP 2010 ).
Coconut Palm Cocos nucifera (locally called Narikel) is abundantly cultivated
on the island and is given the Bangla name of St. Martin's—Narikel Jhinjira.
Streblus asper (locally called shaora) is considered to be the most abundant tree on
the island (Tomascik 1997 ). Among the naturally occurring trees, two species of
Pandanus (locally called keya) and one species of Streblus are predominant
(UNDP 2010 ).
Areas of shrubs are dominated by the abundant Vitex trifolea (locally known as
Nil-nishinda) and Vitex negundo , both belonging to the Amiacea family, and by
some species of Leguminosae (Tomascik 1997 ). The main herb of note is the
Ipomoea pescaprae (locally called Shagor lota). A small-bulbed variety of onion
Allium sp. (Family Alliaceae) is indigenous to the island and is cultivated nowhere
else in Bangladesh.