YTL Hotels Celebrates Eco Initiatives for World Conservation Day

Ahead of World Conservation Day on 28 July 2024, YTL Hotels is shining a light on sustainable conservation initiatives that guests can get involved with at three of the group’s five-star resorts in Malaysia. From eco-friendly kids clubs, immersive nature discovery trails, coral planting to turtle hatchery and marine conservation, Gaya Island Resort, Tanjong Jara Resort and Pangkor Laut Resort each offer guests the chance to help preserve the planet’s natural wonders and wildlife.

Passionate about inspiring travellers to learn more about the nature that surrounds them, YTL Hotels’ on-site specialists Justin Juhun, Director of Conservation, and Scott Mayback, Resident Marine Biologist at Gaya Island Resort share below details on the key sustainability and environmental initiatives across the resorts for 2024 to date.

Protected within a 4,922-hectare Marine Park, Gaya Island Resort in Borneo is at the forefront of ecological conservation offerings. Guests can enjoy a short boat ride or jungle hike to the Marine Conservation Centre in Malohom Bay, where the team have rehabilitated many animals native to the shores of Gaya Island. Here, travellers can visit Covid the sea turtle that was found floating on the shores of Gaya Island in early 2020. Over the past three years, the team has rehabilitated Covid who is now being acclimatised to the sea and are hopeful that Covid’s release is possible in the near future. Gaya Island Resort’s Wildlife Centre advocates for Probsicis Monkey Preservation, Nature & Wildlife Conservation and offers Educational Nature Trails as well as the Kuri-Kuri Young Explorer and Turtle Talks. Kuri-Kuri Young Explorer engages kids with sustainability, guiding them through the resort to discover rare wildlife such as red giant flying squirrels, twilight fireflies, and bearded pigs. Guests can also participate in Coral Planting sessions, learning about the lifespan of coral, the reefs’ support of 30 per cent of sea life, and how they can flourish into fantastical seascapes.

Tanjong Jara Resort is located on the pristine East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia. Since its opening in 1980, the YTL Hotels team has strived to preserve the natural environment, minimising encroachment on the surrounding nature. Guests can learn about conserved landmarks and local wildlife through river cruises down the mangroves or exploration via The Jara Hill Walk to spot a myriad of wildlife in their natural habitat. In an exclusive partnership with PULIHARA, the resort has established the longstanding Turtle Hatchery at Tanjong Jara. This hatchery provides guests with a unique view into the nesting process, ensuring the safety of the nests from potential predators. If fortunate, guests may witness the mesmerising emergence of young hatchlings at night.

Additionally, an innovative nest adoption program empowers guests to pledge their support by safeguarding a nest from poachers and preventing its potential sale in local markets as food. Participants in this program receive regular email updates with photographic progress reports and an exclusive invitation to revisit the resort to witness the remarkable hatching of turtle eggs.

Preserving its two-million-year-old rainforest, Pangkor Laut Resort has only developed a fraction of the 300-acre private island, allowing wildlife to flourish amid wooden structures seamlessly blending into the forest. This one-of-a-kind resort nestles comfortably into its jungle island habitat and by introducing the Nature Conservation Centre, visitors now have the chance to learn about local wildlife such as hornbills, sea otters and peacocks. The Tropical Botanical Gardens is home to many rare species of native plants that the team has successfully cultivated, such as the Triangular Clubmoss, whilst the Coral Planting on the cement blocks along the Pangkor Laut Resort Jetty has led to significant coral reproduction. Guests can visit the turtles on the island at the Teluk Ketapang turtle hatchery where the team rehabilitate injured and sick turtles and can learn more about wildlife preservation.