Anantara Desaru Coast Resort & Villas, in collaboration with JungleWalla Adventures and Wildlife Tours, has proudly announced the successful results of its Dollar for Deeds initiative, Anantara’s brand-wide CSR programme that enables properties to raise funds for various worthy causes.
With the introduction of Dollar for Deeds at Anantara Desaru Coast last year, guests were given the option to add MYR 5 per night to their bill, with the property matching the donation ringgit for ringgit. From January to October 2024, guests contributed RM 74,847 (USD 17,029), an amount matched by the hotel, bringing the total donation to RM 149,694 (USD 34,059).
To announce the results, Anantara Desaru Coast held a press conference on 27 November, attended by local media and special guests, including renowned wildlife photographer and conservationist Sanjitpal Singh, and Dr. Kevin Lazarus, former director of Taiping Zoo and chairman of the Malaysian Association of Zoological Parks and Aquaria (MAZPA). They spoke about the importance of preserving the local avian population.
The funds raised went towards supporting Project Rewild Desaru – an ambitious environmental restoration initiative aimed at revitalising the terrestrial and marine ecosystems of Desaru Coast. Driven by the need to address the degradation of natural habitats due to urbanisation, deforestation and other anthropogenic activities, the project runs programmes such as bird censuses for detailed accounts of avian species in the area, tree planting to restore degraded landscapes, camera trap installations for insights into the health and diversity of local ecosystems and seed collecting to ensure the preservation of local flora – the last two activities open to Anantara guests.
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“We couldn’t have achieved this without the incredible support of our partners from JungleWalla and our wonderful guests. Thanks to their generous donations, Project Rewild Desaru was able to launch hornbill nesting boxes, helping to conserve their populations in areas where tree destruction has made natural nesting impossible,” said Torsten Richter, Area General Manager. “The remaining funds were used for planting trees, camera trapping, seed collection and building green bridges for wildlife.”
Situated along 17 kilometres of unspoiled beachfront and close to the protected mangroves of Sungai Lebam, Anantara Desaru Coast Resort & Villas offers guests a serene and immersive experience. Here, they can appreciate the natural beauty of the landscape while contributing to its preservation through the Dollar for Deeds programme.