The Coastal zone of Bangladesh is geomorphologically and hydrologically dominated by the

Ganges Brahmaputra Meghna (GBM) river system and the Bay of Bengal. The coastal area of
Bangladesh covers 47,201 km2, 32% of the country, and 19 districts.

Coastal zone management provides for the best long-term sustainable use of coastal natural
resources and the perpetual maintenance of the most beneficial natural environment. It unites
government, community, management, and sectoral interests to protect and develop coastal
ecosystems and resources.
People's participation is always a requirement in any development program. It gives a boost for
sustainable tourism, agriculture, fisheries, etc.
 
TOURISM
Tourism has great potential in Bangladesh with the existence of The Bay of Bengal in the
southern territory of the country. Among the tourist destinations in Bangladesh, many are in
coastal and marine environments. And the spots are mainly located in Chittagong, Cox's Bazar,
Khulna, and Patuakhali districts. A needed development is the development of sustainable
marine tourism in Cox's Bazar district of Bangladesh. Marine tourism development can ensure
various elements of social well-being, such as improving quality of life, infrastructure
development, and enhancing public facilities. Marine tourism development will bring economic
benefits, such as providing employment opportunities, developing livelihoods, facilitating fishing
activities, and enhancing economic well-being.

FISHING

Shrimp cultivation must be controlled to gain a positive response in agriculture. Small farmers
still try to yield crops from their high salinity land. There's nothing much left as livestock in
many coastal districts. Biodiversity is damaged due to Shrimp cultivation. Sustainable
developments must be done in coastal belts to have eco-friendly growth in the environment and
the economy.

Fishing in specific periods like March/April/May can be economically and environmentally

viable for the Fisheries development in the coastal belt. St. Martins Island has a large number of
harvesting Sea trout in their nesting season. We could restrict tourism in that period for proper
nesting of sea trout. Catching Hilsha in the coastal area at the end of July is much appreciated as
per government protocol. September/ October/ November during this time, we will encounter
small fish, big chrome fish, and colored migratory fish along the coast. This time of year, you
can fish all day long since the water temperatures are again at an optimal level, and here, in
particular, it is good to fish in the fjords. 

AGRICULTURE

Usage of fertilizers is different in high salinity soil. Sodium, Calcium, Magnesium, etc., nutrients
with high potassium levels are required in high salinity soil. We can use Ash as the primary
source of potassium. Poor Farmers can use wood power to provide potassium to their agricultural
land. Using Potassium two times in agricultural land increases fertility. STB, Soil Test Based
Fertilizers are quite impactful with increased potassium in coastal belt lands.
Saline Water is also a problem for irrigation and cultivation of any agricultural production. For
irrigation, a large amount of Sweet Water is necessary. In Coastal belts like Shatkhira, Scientists
have found groundwater aquifers for irrigation available at 200 feet depth. So, we could develop
these kinds of tube wells for better irrigation in these lands of the coastal belt.

Local people tend to follow what they have seen in past years, what their father, grandfather has
told them about agriculture and fisheries. But the actual fact is with modern research methods,
our scientists could help these people of the coastal belt reach a specific goal in agriculture and
fisheries.

Land subsidence
People of the South face continuous land subsidence; daily, people are losing their land, home,
and everything. Which has made it an additional dynamic factor in South Region. Under natural
conditions, such subsidence was counteracted by sedimentation from the rivers at high tide. The
construction of embankments cut off this natural sediment accretion within polders.

Develop Coastal infrastructure

The development of coastal infrastructure is very much needed because Bangladesh is a poor
country and cannot accept the cost of an infrastructural disaster. A 1 m rise in sea level would
inundate 18% of Bangladesh's total land, directly threatening 11% of the country's population
with a flood. In addition, the backwater and increased river flow from sea-level rise could affect
60% of the country's population.