Banyan Tree Bintan Conservation Lab Shines With PATA Gold Award And First Turtle Hatching
Singapore, July 2008 – Officially launched in September 2007, Banyan Tree Bintan Conservation Lab has recently won the 2008 PATA Gold Award in the Ecotourism Project category. This annual event recognises exceptional achievements in various hospitality categories and seeks to highlight the best Asia Pacific’s travel industry has to offer.
Since the founding of Banyan Tree Hotels and Resorts, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has played a key role in the group, enabling Banyan Tree Hotels and Resorts to be involved as agents of social and economic development in developing countries where they have a presence. Banyan Tree Bintan Conservation Lab is the first of its kind in South East Asia to be established by a resort, and follows in the success of its two elder siblings, the Banyan Tree Marine Labs in the Maldives.
Banyan Tree Bintan’s Conservation Lab was conceptualised to contribute to the on-going conservation effort nationwide, particularly in Bintan Island, to reverse the trend of reduced biodiversity because of unsustainable practices and habitat destruction. The Conservation Lab sets out to collaborate with key conservation groups, zoos, universities and other key stakeholder groups in the area to protect key conservation targets (i.e. ecosystems and species under highest threat or whose existence is believed to be in danger) while also working alongside local communities and authorities to develop and promote alternative livelihood programs that will ease the pressure on precious natural resources.
Indonesia is recognised as one of the planet’s most important sources of biodiversity. Its seas harbor the most diverse and resilient coral reefs ecosystem in the world, with seventeen percent of the world’s coral reefs area located within Indonesia’s territorial boundaries, as well as one the world’s largest tropical rainforest areas where 17% of the world’s bird species can be found.
The Banyan Tree Bintan Conservation Lab is staffed by a dedicated team comprising a trained Environmental Naturalist and two local wildlife rangers with Marine Science and Biology backgrounds. Since April 2007, the Bintan Conservation Lab has collaborated with international and regional experts in their field to host numerous studies and surveys. These include a reptile and amphibian survey, a coral survey, a bird and butterflies survey, as well as a study on the Asian Box Turtle.
As a result of the surveys and partnerships, experts have discovered over 60 species of birds in the resort, of which 15 are listed as protected species; while approximately 40 species of reptiles and amphibians were identified in the resort and surrounding area, including two freshwater turtle species listed as vulnerable and endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN). Research is ongoing, and further projects and partnerships are being developed to enhance the ability of the resorts to protect and promote the local ecology.
In a display of the Conservation Lab’s efforts to preserve the natural habitat of the resort’s surroundings, the resort celebrated its very first recorded birth of native hawksbill turtles. Hawksbill turtles are one of two of the world's surviving marine turtle species that live around Bintan Island. Although these turtles lay hundreds of eggs each nesting season, only 1% survive to adulthood. In collaboration with partner resorts, the Banyan Tree Bintan Conservation Lab team and resort associates rescued the eggs and relocated them to a safer nesting site. Upon hatching, the baby turtles were carefully brought back to the same beach they were found in and released to begin their journey into the open waters.
Banyan Tree Bintan is built on a site remarkable for being a lush first-growth rainforest nestled along the shoreline – a rare occurrence in Southeast Asia where most coastal lands are inhabited and planted with coconut trees. Interestingly too, many of the trees on the site are from 50 to 100 years old and some of these trees like Malayan Fern Palm and Crinum Lily are rare in other parts of Asia.
By embracing and reflecting the unique culture and heritage, Banyan Tree welcomes guests to broaden their horizons and retain the romance of travel. By designing each resort to fit into its respective setting, the beauty of local ecologies and communities provides a lasting impression of incomparable destinations.
About Banyan Tree Bintan
Located in the Riau archipelago on the spectacular talcum-white private beach of Tanjong Said on Bintan Island, Banyan Tree Bintan is only 55 minutes away from Singapore by high-speed catamaran. This award-winning resort is built on alleviated surroundings with breathtaking views of the South China Sea. It comprises 61 beautiful villas modelled on traditional Balinese architecture, designed and decorated with a colloquial flavour. Each villa is raised on stilts, perched on hillsides with stunning views of the bay below, giving an exciting tree-top experience.