In that case, the district and upazila administrations under whose jurisdiction the St. The DoE, without any power to implement its directives, can only declare that certain places are ecologically vulnerable and should be protected. Otherwise, the intricate ecosystem of the entire deltaic plain, that is Bangladesh, might be irreversibly damaged. Martin's Island is one of the 13 ecologically critical areas of the country. If humans are allowed to indulge in whatever way they want, then the process of the island's sinking below the sea will only be accelerated. Snails, oysters, seaweeds, the green top cover of the island are also vanishing in a similar fashion.

Sea turtles are vanishing, for light and sound pollution from the seaside resorts is driving away the mother turtles from the sandy nests on the island close to the sea beach where they lay their eggs. Of some 176 diverse species of flora and fauna the island is home to, many have already become extinct.

And that may be due to natural causes such as cyclones or erosion of corals. Saint Martin's has been getting smaller since long. In any case, the DoE could not have issued any clearance certificate for erecting those structures on the island simply because the government declared the island an ecologically critical area (ECA) in 1999. None of those buildings, whether private or government-owned, were erected after getting clearance from the Department of Environment (DoE). Government buildings, too, have sprung up on the island for official as well as business purposes. And tourists, as usual, pollute the island's environment by dumping used plastic water bottles, food packets, polythene bags, cigarette butts, you name it, on the island.

For people have bought or grabbed the island's land and built hotels, resorts and cottages where tourists can stay. This beautiful piece of land in the sea with its abundant flora and fauna, its unique biodiversity and ecosystem that has evolved over the millennia may one day disappear. As with climate change, it is again human action, greed, to be specific, that is playing its part. Martin's, located close to the southernmost tip of Bangladesh, Teknaf, is facing an existential crisis.

Road Kill by S.R. Martin