Impact of Tourism on LULC and LST in a Coastal Island of Bangladesh: A Geospatial Approach on St. Martin's Island of Bay of Bengal

St. Martin's Island, one of the most visited tourist destinations of Bangladesh, is greatly famous for its diverse coral ecosystem. Because of the frequent tourist visits, the island has faced gradual changes in terms of land use and land cover alteration. The subsequent change in surface temperature impacts the coral reef and local microclimate. The current study aims to pin point the locations in St. Martin's Island where tourism-related activities are mostly seen and quantify the locations in terms of tourist pressure index (TPI). Furthermore, the study sought to address and explain relationships among TPI, land use land cover change (LULC) and land surface temperature (LST) from year 2005 to year 2019. It was observed that TPI was largely dependent on the availability of tourism facilities. The changes in LULC were found to be more frequent in the locations where TPI was relatively high. Rise in LST was intensified by the changing pattern of LULC. The study found that agricultural lands were reduced within the last decade and significant number of resorts and hotels were constructed. Jetty Beach and North Beach attained the highest TPI ranking, whereas Chera Dwip and South Beach scored the lowest. Observed reduction in coral reef footprint were 38% during the study period which indicates that anthropogenic activity had an adverse effect on the local environment. To conserve the corals, stern law enforcement is essential to alleviate adverse environmental impact on the biodiversity of the island.