International Hotel Supports CTI-CFF Goals, Leads Sustainable Seafood Drive in Malaysia

On December 8, 2011, Shangri-la’sTanjung Aru Resort and Spa launched its first ever sustainable seafood awareness campaign in Sabah, Malaysia supporting the CTI-CFF’s goals to increase the application of an ecosystem approach to fisheries in the Coral Triangle.  During the launch, the management of the 492-room resort committed to purchase its seafood supply from sustainable sources through local fishermen organizations in the nearby Tun Mustapha Park. This effort encourages local fishing communities to stop using destructive fishing practices and helps protect the marine ecosystem in the area. The one million hectare park is among the biodiversity hotspots in the Coral Triangle and is home to Malaysia’s second largest concentration of coral reefs, mangroves, seagrass beds and endangered marine species, including turtles and dugongs. Shangri-la’s effort to help protect the marine environment was also cited at the CTI-CFF Regional Business Forum in Kuala Lumpur in October 2011 and is being used as a model for public-private initiatives in the region. Shangri-la works in collaboration with the Sabah government and USAID’s US Coral Triangle Initiative Support Program through WWF-Malaysia in its sustainable fisheries projects.