| Sonadia Island
is a popular destination in Bangladesh,
and each year it welcomes thousands of visitors to its
shore. It boasts with having the world’s longest stretch
of sandy beach and is always colorfully decorated in
beach umbrellas and relaxing tourists. Just of its coast
lies a small island by the name of Sonadia
Island. Even though it has been thought to only
be a tranquil haven for fishermen and its small local
community, Sonadia Island is rich in wildlife
and beauty. During the winter months fishermen return
to the island to fish of its shore, and erect temporary
shelter and living quarters for the duration of their
stay. But Sonadia Island, in the Southeastern region of
Bangladesh, is more than just a good fishing
spot, it is home to sea turtles, various bird species
and the conservationists who are working tirelessly to
save some of these species from extinction.
Since about 2006, the Asian Waterbird Conservation
Fund has been doing extensive research and surveys of
Sonadia Island in regard to the bird species found on
the island. They have been working extremely closely
with local communities to fight poaching and illegal
capture of the birds by outsiders who come to the island
and lay traps for certain birds. Most of the members of
the community feel that their island should be left
untouched, and have been very interested in
conservation education and some have become
volunteer workers for the Waterbird Project, to assist
in the protection of the various bird species. Surveys
have recorded an estimated fifty two bird
species on the island, including resident and
migratory birds. Shrimp farming on the island poses a
threat to many birds and communities have been assisted
in trying to conserve the areas that remain safe for
nesting. Birds such as sand plovers, little stints,
fantail snipes, avocet-sandpipers, grey plovers,
black-bellied terns, geese, herring gulls, grey herons,
cattle egrets and yellow bitterns can be seen.
Conservation efforts to save the breeding grounds of
sea turtles have also been an ongoing project on the
island, with hatcheries, monitoring stations and
anti-poaching personnel being taken and trained from
among the local island residents. Last year, during the
2006-2007 breeding season, three Green Turtle nests and
sixty Olive Ridley Turtle nests were protected through
the project.
Visitors will be able to find some magnificent sea
shells on the beaches along the western side of the
island and in the northern waters. Visitors will be able
to see the seemingly endless beds filled with windowpane
oysters. Sonadia Island is a wildlife paradise, with
beauty waiting around every corner, proving that
sometimes there is more to a destination than meets the
eye.
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