Dhaka, Oct. 22 -- The government has issued new guidelines to promote eco-friendly tourism on St. Martin's Island, aiming to preserve the island's unique natural beauty, environment, and biodiversity.

The Environment-2 Wing of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change issued a notification in this regard on Wednesday.

The guidelines are based on the "St. Martin's Island Environment, Habitat and Biodiversity Conservation and Eco-friendly Tourism Guidelines, 2023" (S.R.O No-165-Law/2023, dated May 23, 2023), framed under Section 13 of the Bangladesh Environment Conservation Act, 1995.

Under the new rules, the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) will not permit any vessels to operate on the island without appr...