Banyan Group’s global sustainability initiatives
OVERVIEW
Since our inception, we have been guided by the ethos “Embracing the Environment, Empowering People”. As a Group, we believe in tourism’s unique ability to create meaningful impact on natural environments and local communities, and that it is our duty to be stewards of these beautiful destinations. Read on to find out about some of our ongoing efforts to care for the lands that host us.
- 29/08/2024
- 10 minutes
Laguna Phuket
After opening on a site of rehabilitated tin mine in 1987, Laguna Phuket has been committed to protecting the local ecosystem and returning the 1,000 acres of lush parkland and beachfront to their natural state.
Since 1994, Laguna Phuket has partnered the Phuket Marine Biological Centre (PMBC) and the Royal Thai Navy to protect and rehabilitate endangered sea turtles nesting on the beaches of Phuket and nearby islands. Through regular release events, 2,186 baby turtles have been rescued and released into the sea, while 7.7 million Baht has been raised for the PMBC Sea Turtle Conservation Fund.
Mangrove forests are vital in the fight against climate change, and since 2007, Laguna Phuket has planted 33,500 mangrove saplings around the island with the help of over 1,600 associate volunteers and 700 community members. Through regular clean-ups, volunteers also remove trash and debris that pollute the mangroves.
Founded in 1992 to offer free education to the children of associates and locals, the Laguna Phuket Kindergarten has since enrolled 1,771 children and was officially registered with Thailand’s Ministry of Education in 2008.
The Children First Fund (CFF) was established in March 2017 to provide monthly sustenance and necessities to over 400 orphans and children at 7 Phuket-based orphanages, while also supporting operational costs and maintenance needs. Donations over the years have hit a total of over 6 million Baht.
In April 2014, Laguna Phuket launched a Mobile Learning Centre (MLC) with the aim to increase the rate and quality of literacy among pilot schools in the region through books, games and fun learning activities. Since 2014, it has engaged with 10,053 students and 496 teachers in Phuket and Phang-Nga.
Laguna Phuket has partnered with SUGi Forest Makers to embark on a mission to reintroduce wild species of trees back into the natural landscape. Following the Miyawaki method of rewilding, the team selected 84 species of native trees and planted the first 7,500 saplings.
Banyan Tree Krabi
The team at Banyan Tree Krabi has been planting orchids and trees around the resort with the help of staff and guests, to create a green oasis where guests can enjoy lush landscapes and diverse flora and fauna. During 2022 and 2023, 91 nature lovers joined hands to plant 215 trees and flowers focusing on species that provide shade, oxygen, habitat, and food for wildlife, such as mango, coconut, papaya, banana, orchid and heliconia.
The resort also supports reforestation and conservation projects in nearby areas, such as donating 100 mangrove saplings to the Krabi Mangrove Forest Conservation Centre, which aims to restore the mangrove ecosystem and protect the coastal environment.
Banyan Tree Krabi also organises regular clean-ups around the island, where staff, guests and local partners come together to collect trash and sort recyclables. From 2020 to 2023, the resort organised 13 community clean-ups in six different areas, collecting a total of 875 kilograms of trash with the help of 280 participants.
Banyan Tree Samui
Our Seedlings programme is a Banyan Tree global initiative launched in 2007, with the aim of providing vocational and life skills, as well as education to young people via two phases – mentorships and scholarships.
Banyan Tree Samui has been implementing the programme since 2013 with support and funding from the Banyan Tree Global Foundation (BTGF), spending around 2,000-8,000 USD per year. So far, five mentees have completed the mentorship phase and two are currently enrolled. Three of the graduates are continuing their education at the university with scholarships, while the other two graduated with bachelor’s degrees in June 2023.
Banyan Tree Bintan
Since launching in 2008, Banyan Tree Bintan in Indonesia has been on a mission to support the local environment and community through initiatives as beach clean-ups, nature tours and the Sea Turtle Conservation Project that focuses on rescuing sea turtle eggs.
Since 2008, thanks to the combined efforts of the resort’s Conservation Lab, students from Raja Ali Haji Maritime University and local volunteers, 5,861 hatchlings of green and hawksbill turtles, both endangered, have been released into the South China Sea after being nurtured in a hatchery away from natural predators for two months.
Resort guests are often invited to participate in baby turtles’ releases, as well as to help track local species on guided birdwatching tours and while walking a tree trek trail or journeying through nearby mangroves.
Learn more about Banyan Tree Bintan’s conservation efforts from our Cluster Sustainability Coordinator here.
Banyan Tree Vabbinfaru
At Banyan Tree Vabbinfaru, innovation and nature preservation go hand in hand.
In 1996, the property launched the Barnacle – the first reef in the Maldives that uses electrolysis to stimulate and increase calcification rates of the coral skeleton. Since then, two more electric frames were introduced alongside such coral preservation techniques as micro fragmentation, coral nurseries and iron support structures.
Through a combination of citizen science and coral planting by guests and employees, a total of 13,075 corals have been gardened between sister properties Banyan Tree Vabbinfaru and Dhawa Ihuru.