Sonadia Island
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Sonadia Island is a small island of about 9 km2 (3.5 sq mi), off the Cox's Bazar coast of Chittagong Division, Bangladesh. Sonadia is located at Kutubjom Union in Maheshkhali Upazila, 15 km north-west of Cox's Bazar District Headquarters. It is located at latitude 21.28˝-21.33˝ and longitude 91.50˝-91.56˝. Sonadia Maheshkhali is separated from the main island by a canal.
Biodiversity
[edit]Turtles
[edit]Five species of sea turtle have been reported from the territorial waters of Bangladesh, but only olive ridley and green turtles nest on Sonadia Island.[1] The illegal harvesting of turtle eggs, bycatch in offshore fisheries, and alterations of sand dunes and nesting beaches are the main threats to sea turtles in Bangladesh.[1] Since 1980, the nesting populations of sea turtles have declined significantly due to severe exploitation of eggs and killing of adult turtles by fishing and other activities.[1] Despite complete legal protection since 2010, sea turtles continue to face severe threats in Bangladesh, and many of the nesting rookeries remain poorly studied.[1]
Birds
[edit]The island has been designated an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it supports significant populations of wintering migratory waders, including great knots, spoon-billed sandpipers and spotted greenshanks.[2]
Threats
[edit]Sonadia is seen as a potential deepwater port lying on the Bay of Bengal that could serve the landlocked parts of India, Myanmar and China.[3] Rail connections have yet to be built, and the question of gauge has yet to be resolved.
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d "MTN 130:19-22 Nesting Sea Turtles at Sonadia Island, Bangladesh". www.seaturtle.org. Retrieved 2023-04-23.
- ^ "Sonadia Island". BirdLife Data Zone. BirdLife International. 2024. Retrieved 2024-10-13.
- ^ "Sonadia, Kutubdia channels selected for deep seaport". The New Nation. Archived from the original on 6 June 2009.
21°29′N 91°54′E / 21.483°N 91.900°E
External links
[edit]Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Chittagong". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
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