PROJECTS
Turtle Conservation
Working with the Wildlife Conservation Society and the Forest Department under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation of the Union of Myanmar, the Foundation built the first sea turtle hatchery in Lampi Marine National Park.
For years, almost all turtle nesting sites have been raided by humans and local predatory wildlife. The Lampi Foundation has empowered local villagers to safeguard all future nesting grounds. One of the Foundation’s most significant projects is the continued protection and monitoring of every sea turtle nest on Wa Ale Resort in the Lampi Marine National Park. We are providing a safe environment for the Green, Hawksbill and Leatherback Turtles that nest on the island of Wa Ale. As of January 2016, we have saved over 104 nests and released over 8000 turtles safely into the Andaman Sea off the island of Wa Ale.
Through Lampi Foundation, Wa Ale Resort has monitored every nest and recorded critical data which will help with future sea turtle research in Myanmar. We recorded a Leatherback turtle nest in 2016; a species thought to have disappeared from Myanmar. We have saved over 8000 sea turtles by guarding nests against poaching. Before Wa Ale Resort’s assignment of Wa Ale Resort, Dr. Steven Platt of Wildlife Conservation Society’s 2012 Report states that humans were harvesting most turtle nests for the sale of the turtle eggs and unless the nests were protected against human poachers, there would be no nesting on Wa Ale by 2030.
Lampi Foundation, with the guidance of Fauna and Flora International (FFI) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association has created a system of recording sea turtle nesting data in order to better observe and understand the breeding trends of sea turtles along the coastal shores of Myanmar. The training included turtle patroling protocol; flipper tagging; hatching data collection techniques and strengthening Wa Ale's staff's understanding of sea turtle biology and species identification.
Environmental Protection
One of Lampi Foundation’s main missions is to work closely with Myanmar’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation to protect the Lampi Marine National Park, Myanmar’s only ASEAN Heritage Park in the Myeik Archipelago.
The Lampi Foundation helps fund coral protection and combats illegal fishing in the National Park by installing sea moorings for dive boats and sea vessels within the Park. By funding diving trips, the Foundation helps remove fishing nets left from illegal fishing, which obstructs the growth of coral reefs.
Most recently, The Lampi Foundation has donated Myanmar’s Forest Department a speed boat for Forest Rangers to patrol the Lampi Marine National Park daily, which is critical to stopping illegal fishing boats from destroying the marine ecosystem.
Early Childhood Education
The Lampi Foundation works closely with Salet Galet, a nearby fishing village with continual outreach programs. The Foundation’s goal is to educate the village, specifically their young children, about the preservation of their environment and raising awareness of ridding our oceans of plastic and pollution. Through the Foundation, beach cleanup efforts are organized with Wa Ale Resort’s staff guidance and training of village children, so they become effective ambassadors of their region.
There are 40 families that live in the small fishing village on the island of Salet Galet, next to Wa Ale Island. The Lampi Foundation funds the village school that educates children up to 3rd grade, providing English language instruction, resources and supplies. The Foundation commits to offering the children of Salet Galet scholarships for their continued education off island through University level.
The Lampi Foundation has provided a Grant to the Wildlife Conservation Society to give continual educational seminars to three local fishing villages on critical issues such as Turtle Conservation and Environmental Protection, with the focus on preventing illegal fishing, proper waste management and the importance of protecting our oceans.
Medical Assistance
Starting in 2016, the Lampi Foundation worked directly with Dr. Gerald Zelikovsky of The Global Medical Volunteers, to provide medical advice and donation of medical equipment to the fishing village of Ma Kyone Galet.
Since then, the Lampi Foundation has built a clinic and medical dispensary in the village of Salet Galet and pays the salaries for the village’s medic. With the Lampi Foundation’s medical funding, the families of Salet Galet and local fisherman in the Archipelago know they have a safe haven for medical treatment.
Local Employment
Wa Ale Resort continually strives to hire locally and provide promotion opportunities for our local staff. The Resort is presently employing 80% of the staff locally and from other regions in Myanmar. Through continual training, Wa Ale works with the Lampi Foundation to encourage employees to be stewards of the Lampi Marine National Park.
With Wa Ale Resort gaining a presence in the region as an eco-tourism destination that encourages sustainability, Wa Ale will continue to hire and train from within Myanmar.
