4th April 2012
Dear Eco-Travelers
It is a great honour to us that you choose to include our lodge in your itinerary around Sabah.
When it was built in 1995, Sukau Rainforest Lodge (SRL) was considered a very remote place. It was the first and only lodge built on the other side of the Kinabatangan River. Most of the materials needed was brought in from outside the area. It was completely self-sufficient in water and power supply, utilising rainwater and solar energy.
Over the years, new facilities were added and innovations introduced. These include the Kari Boardwalk, Melapi restaurant and Jetty, the Info Gallery and the 1,500ft long covered Hornbill Boardwalk including two elephant passes to provide space for the migration of Bornean pygmy elephants. Every room has an attached bathroom with solar hot water shower. Oil lamps using recycled cooking oil were used adopted. We pioneered the use of electric motors for river safari tours to wildlife areas to minimise air and noise pollution and reduce stress to the wildlife. To reduce the use of 10,000 plastic mineral water bottles, Borneo mugs were introduced.
But now, 17 years later in 2012, as a result of many challenges and lessons learned, things have changed for the better. In 2010/11 the lodge underwent an extensive RM3 million upgrade of guestrooms, Gecko Lounge, Kedai gift shop and the addition of Gomantong Hall, a design inspired by Gomantong Caves of Sukau. Every effort was made to enhance the guest comfort including the increase of all guest rooms by 60%.
What is not so obvious to a first time visitor to the lodge however is the work done to raise the living standard of the local community through our many community and environment projects (including KWICORP project) since 1995 through its foundation ‘Borneo Ecotourism Solutions & Technologies Society’, BEST Society (formerly Sukau Ecotourism Research and Development Centre or SERDC). Many of our staff and their family members were lifted out of poverty through the many business opportunities created. The majority of staff at SRL are also locals. Other than providing job opportunity, we sent three staff members from Sukau Rainforest Lodge to attend a guide training and certification course (Nature Guides). Additionally we provide opportunities to other local staff members to be our boatmen to assist in the wildlife spotting. As much as possible we buy our supplies locally, with all our river boats being made locally. We also use local craftsmen to repair the lodge. For more information, you may want to get a copy of “Saving Paradise ” co-authored by Albert Teo and Carol Patterson and launched in April 2005 at the Borneo Ecotourism Conference 2005 to celebrate our tenth anniversary, by contacting info@borneoecotours.com .
The success of Ecotourism in this area has also come with a price as more eco-tourists flock to view the abundant wildlife of the Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary. More lodges and more tourists mean more challenges on the existing infrastructures and river traffic during viewing time and thus more pressure on the wildlife that tourists come to see. The growing international demand of palm oil has also changed the landscape of the area outside the Sanctuary as wildlife movement particularly Bornean pygmy elephants are increasingly being restricted to a smaller area. Your continuing support will therefore give us a fighting chance to slow down the tide of change.
As part of our commitment to corporate social responsibility, we set aside RM4 per adult to BEST Society for every international guest who stays with us. (Borneo Eco Tours also contributes RM8 per guest). We set this fund aside irrespective of whether we make profit or not. Between 1996-2011, we spent approximately RM634,726.00 on various projects. http://www.sukau.com/news.php?cat=5
I welcome you to personally come and experience paradise at our ecolodge. Do get to speak to our staff and learn of their culture. They may be a bit shy and their English not perfect, but they are charming.
Sincerely,
Albert C.K. Teo
Managing Director
Website: www.sukau.com
Email: info@sukau.com
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