Y T L' S

NATURAL WONDERS
N O .2VO I CE O F CO N S ER VAT I O N

Oct ’23Hornbillsin ParadiseWith its undisturbed million-year-old rainforest, Pangkor Laut Resort offers anatural refuge for the canopy dwelling Oriental Pied Hornbills.

A WELCOMEMESSAGEFROM JUSTIN JUHUN

lockdowns. The fruits of those labours are indeed
encouraging, as our 20-month survey offered biodiversity
count of 176 species identified ranging from fish, mammals,
birds and reptiles to all manner of insects.
Our efforts in Pangkor Laut Resort have also yielded both aNature Conservation Centre as well as a tropical botanicalgarden on the grounds of Pangkor Laut which are both
open to guest visitations. Our continuing collaboration withacademic institutions also means you will chance upon someof our bright and upcoming eco-warriors in time to come,carrying out their studies on the island’s flora, fauna andcoral reef.
At Gaya Island Resort, we are now moving into another phaseof replanting seagrass meadows, one of the world’s mostproductive ecosystems. It provides habitat and food forshrimp, crabs, cod and flatfish, marine mammals and evenbirds, with seahorses, turtles and dugongs among the otheranimals who seek refuge there. These meadows also reducethe impact of coastal storms as the leaves soften the ferocityof the waves while keeping coastal waters healthy byabsorbing bacteria and nutrients.
I hope you enjoy the reading ahead, and that you will also beable to also experience the many delightful natureexperiences that our conservation team has put in place. Andin some small way, we hope these experiences will provide
you with indelible moments in which the beauty of nature isdistilled in front of your very senses.
Dear guests,
It is with great pleasure that we bring you the second volumeof The Natural Wonders - Voices of Conservation, acompendium of heart-warming updates on YTL Hotels' keysustainability and environmental initiatives. In this quarter’s
update, we invite you to sail over emerald waters to theprivate island that is Pangkor Laut Resort, and delve into ourconservation activities which kept us busy during the global

T H E N AT U R A L W O N D E R SYours sincerely,Justin Juhun
Director of ConservationYTL Hotels

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IN PANGKOR LAUT RESORT, BIODIVERSITY STUDIES ACROSSTWO YEARS SHOWCASES WILDLIFE ABUNDANCE

During the pandemic, YTL Hotels initiated a preliminary survey
at Pangkor Laut Resort to gauge the state of biodiversity inthe natural landscape. The findings were hugely encouraging
as we recorded a total of 176 species across the followingclassifications; mammals (8), birds (28), reptile – snakes (8),reptile – lizards (6), amphibian – frogs (2), spiders (11), insect –butterflies (15), insect – moth (10), insect – beetle (12) insect –others (30), others (10) and fish (36).

PA N G KO R L AU T R E SO R T

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Upon the accomplishment of this preliminary wildlife survey, wecompiled and produced a PDF booklet to be freely
disseminated to guests of Pangkor Laut Resort interested
to learn more about the wildlife on and surrounding the island.
To further augment our efforts in wildlife conservation
and related enrichment programmes, we took 14 months
to convert a building to become the resort’s NatureConservation Centre. Here, guests will be able to learn
about our conservation efforts and also immerse themselves in
the island’s rich biodiversity.
Following the establishment of the Nature Conservation
Centre, we then began work on a Tropical Botanical Garden
with the objective of preserving and showcasing the island’srare species of flora, such as the Triangular Clubmoss(Huperzia phlegmaria) which are sometimes used as
ornamental plants.

PA N G KO R L AU T R E SO R T

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THE MAGNIFICENT HORNBILLS HABITATRESEARCH & CONSERVATIONOngoing efforts with academic institutions include a collaboration
with University College Sabah Foundation (UCSF) in which twointerns undertook a three-month study of ‘The Oriental Pied
Hornbill Census and Behaviour’, a field of research enabled by
the large hornbill population on the island.
To conserve hornbills, Macarthur Palms (PtychospermaMacarthurii) is planted as part of the resort’s garden plants, which
also provide fruit for hornbills. Several wooden nesting boxes
made from recycled wood were also built to provide breeding
and nursery habitats for the hornbills. We are committed to work
together with local bird conservation organisations to advanceconservation efforts that benefit birds and their habitat.

PA N G KO R L AU T R E SO R T

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A LAWN BENEATH THE WAVES &ON THE SHORES OF GAYA ISLAND RESORTAt Gaya Island Resort, located within the protected 4,922-hectare
Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park, our four-year effort to replant
the seagrass produced some fascinating results. Three different
planting methodologies were used and the third one proved
most successful, allowing us to create a seagrass meadow overan area of 255 square metres, ideal as grazing grounds for marine
life. In total, seven different seagrass species were collected andintroduced into this project.

Similarly, our long-standing mangrove habitat project –which began in 2014 – has also led to recent a nursery planting
project. At the resort’s mangrove nursery, guests are also invited
to participate in collecting the propagules during excursions
into the mangrove forests. Early this year, our team visited theSulaman Wetland Centre in Tuaran, Sabah, an area of over 1,200acres, to obtain more species of mangrove for habitat enrichment
and propagation. By producing small pockets of mangrove
forests, our hope is to increase diversity and avoid the existenceof a mono habitat.

On another note, one of the resort’s seven natural wonders– the elephant foot yam – adds an incalculable benefit to thelandscape. When matured – this plant produces a seasonal
flower measuring up to 60cm in height and 56cm in width. You
can find these plants at the resort’s pool bar walkway, entrance
to the pool bar rest rooms and also at the chef’s garden withcontinual efforts to introduce this plant at various areas of theisland.

G AYA I S L A N D R E S O R T

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SPREADING THE KNOW-HOW OF CONSERVATION
A vital turtle hatchery site in the making.
During my time stations at Pangkor Laut Resort, I was approachedby two gentlemen Dr Nurul and Rasli who run the turtle sanctuary
at Teluk Ketapang in the adjacent Pangkor Island. I offeredadvisory on their management of the turtle sanctuary and,assisted them to draft an MOU with the relevant authorities toestablish greater governance and guidance in the management of
their sanctuary.
Earlier this year, I also received an invitation from the officer ofTaman Taman Perak (Perak Parks) to visit Pulau Sembilan. Here
we had a deep discussion on partnership of future conservation
work while also discovering plenty of turtle nesting sites, making
it vital for us to establish a turtle hatchery site on the island.

PA N G KO R L AU T R E SO R T

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ENCOUNTERS WITH FURRY FRIENDS & FIREFLIESThis year’s Earth Hour was celebrated at the resort with a nightexpedition at the stream nearby the Tavajun Trail to collectfireflies for the closing event. Then at the resort’s boardwalk,approximately 60 guests gathered and were given a specimen
bottle of fireflies – the freeing of more than a hundred fireflies
back into their habitat, shimmering in the darkness.
In September, we installed three new nesting boxes made of
Selangan Batu timber – a heavy hardwood – for the use of thered giant flying squirrel. This species, which can be found fromthe Himalayas to various parts of central and southern China, isdeservedly a natural wonder of Gaya Island Resort being one ofthe largest variants of arboreal squirrels in the world.

G AYA I S L A N D R E S O R T

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THE KURI-KURI KIDS CLUB FOR THE YOUNG EXPLORERS
AT GAYA ISLAND RESORTA tropical wonderland for children and families to participate in exciting activities.
The third quater of this year, we also saw the launch of a newnature activity of the little ones named, ‘Kuri-Kuri Kids Club The Young Explorer’. This programme guides children on theresort grounds in search of wildlife. The tour ends at thewildlife centre where the children are able to complete theirown wildlife journal, recording all the new and exciting animal
sightings from the day.

G AYA I S L A N D R E S O R T

Gaya Island Resort is a tropical wonderland for children andfamilies to participate in exciting activities. The activities arecurated to stimulate creativity, wonder and exploration inchildren. We are passionate to provide a day of experiential funand learning for children to learn of our on-going sustainabilityand conservation efforts - to bring home life long memoriesof their Distinctively Borneo adventure.

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The Natural Wonders - Voice of Conservation aims to share thelatest conservation news from our collection of Luxury Resorts inMalaysia. Discover the infinite variety, complexity, sheer beautyof the natural environment and the passion of its people thatmake each resort an exceptional experience.

YTL Hotels Travel Centre, Level 2, YTL Plaza,
55 Jalan Bukit Bintang, 55100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
travelcentre@ytlhotels.com | +60 3 2783 1000
www.ytlhotels.com