In Malaysia, five islands form Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park, a glittery turquoise oasis filled with coral reefs, parrotfish, seahorses, and green sea turtles.
Gaya, the largest of the five islands, is also home to the Gaya Island Resort: a luxury 5-star retreat nestled in an ancient rainforest that boasts stunning sea views, swim-up pools, and a spa village hidden amongst the mangroves.
But when guests have free time — between relaxing on massage tables and eating teppanyaki, shabu-shabu, and nabe — the resort challenges visitors to partake in local marine conservation efforts.
At the Gaya Island Marine Resort center, Scott Mayback — the resort’s resident marine biologist — leads education sessions and shows guests how to plant their own propagated coral.
“We also educate our guests on what we are doing and why,” Mayback told ECT Travel.
“We don't simply take people into the reef without teaching them how to preserve it, or into the mangrove without teaching them the importance of the habitat,” he explained. “Instead, we offer a variety of conservation-based activities such as coral planting and mangrove planting.”
“Hopefully, in the future, we can start a conversation fund for guests who wish to stay involved from home.”
When he’s not leading coral reef plantings and teaching education sessions, Mayback is rescuing and rehabilitating green sea turtles, which are listed as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species.
“In my time here, the conversation team has rescued 29 turtles, conducted experimental coral planting, mangrove planting, and sea grass planting,” Mayback said.
“Without tourism it is not as economically viable to conduct conservation works,” he added. “As without tourism money [bringing in] people of all walks of life, they may not have the incentive to protect the environment.”
Their 28th green sea turtle — Gaya — was in dire straits when she was brought in by a local fisherman.
“Our team immediately started Gaya's treatment plan, which included a series of antibiotics and saline drips over a period of 30 days, together with multivitamins and a dietary program,” Mayback said.
“There was a major improvement in Gaya's digestive tract, and its appetite slowly improved over time, with a steady increase in body mass from 4.4kg to 5kg after one month.”
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When Gaya earned a clean bill of health, the resort hosted a sea turtle release for her big return to the sea.
“It's an honor to be able to, yet once again, nurture a compromised Green Turtle back to health, which is Gaya Island Resort's small but impactful contribution back to the local environment,” Mayback said at the release, addressing the crowd of 50 guests who had come to watch.
“We hope that sharing this experience will broaden everyone's appreciation and understanding of the need for conservation efforts for a sustainable future.”
When resident naturalist Justin Juhun first launched the resort’s wildlife center in 2016, he said it wasn’t just designed for visiting tourists.
Juhun’s “7 Wonders” program — which includes mangrove expeditions and encounters with local proboscis monkeys, red giant flying squirrels, twilight fireflies, elephant foot yams, bearded pigs, and boobook owls — was also built to serve local schoolchildren.
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“Basically, we want to bring back the spirit of ‘Pencinta Alam’ in schools,” Juhun said, referring to the Malaysian phrase for “nature lovers.”
The spirit of “pencinta alam” appeared alive and well when photographer Cheryl Miller-Yell and social scientist Tan Beng Hui — both bird enthusiasts — were recently invited to the island to capture the island’s rich avian biodiversity.
“As a researcher studying the relationship between humans and birds, this project was a great opportunity,” Tan told The Star, a Malaysian news outlet. “Initially, I set out to document the birds, but I ended up learning even more about them.”
“For us, it is fascinating to see a resort involved in this kind of conservation,” Tan added. “We have not seen anything like it elsewhere.”
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Header image via Gaya Island Resort
