Homestay, turtle egg hatchery: Libaran island’s tourism hope
Published on: Monday, December 30, 2019
By: Mardinah Jikur
Breathtaking view of Kampung Pulau Libaran.
SANDAKAN: An island village is set to be the district’s new tourism attraction when a homestay and turtle egg hatchery centre initiated by an environmentalist and tourism entrepreneur get the villagers’ attention.Alexander Yee, who has been operating the Walai Penyu Turtle Conservation Park on Kampung Pulau Libaran for the past seven years, said his efforts will bear fruit once the nearby residents are ready to use their land for the homestay and hatchery programmes.
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He said his efforts, helped by the Wildlife Department’s initiative, produced results in conservation when he leased the villagers’ land not just for profit but also conservation.
“We now want the villagers to work on their homestays and generate their economy while the turtle egg hatchery will also be attractive and conservation efforts are undertaken at the same time,” he said.
Yee, who is also the President of the Friends of Sea Turtles Education Research or Foster, was speaking during a dialogue with villagers on the island.
Among all things, the dialogue touched on the mechanism to establish a homestay and a turtle hatchery as well as launching the Cleanest House Campaign on Libaran Island.
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Yee also shared the success story of Walai Penyu which received the Best Tourism Product Award at the Sabah Tourism Awards 2019, recently.
Yee hoped it will inspire the villagers to jointly create a tourism product in Sandakan.
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Left: Beach near Kampung Pulau Libaran.
Right: Villagers during the dialogue session.
Kampung Libaran Village Community Management Council Chairman Imran Mohd Unsun said he and the villagers welcomed the initiative and would work together to support Yee’s efforts to conserve turtles and their beaches, a call echoed by Village Head Ramlee Kahar.
The village has 74 homes with 400 residents, most of whom work as fishermen with some having migrated to the cities.
The villagers were also reminded to abide by the law against taking turtle eggs which carries heavy punishment.
One of the residents, Omar Sanma, said he is ready to make his land a turtle egg hatchery.
The former Wildlife Department boat driver was committed to working together to make their village a tourist destination.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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