Private island resort Bawah Reserve has been accepted into the Signing Blue sustainability program by WWF-Indonesia.
A cooperation agreement was inked by Bawah Reserve and WWF-Indonesia to promote sustainable tourism and responsible travel.
Bawah Reserve spans six islands, with 13 beaches, 36 sustainably-made suites and 300 hectares of forests in the remote Anambas island chain.
"Bawah Reserve is proud to be a part of the Signing Blue initiative to further support marine conservation in the Anambas Archipelago," said Bawah Reserve COO Paul Robinson.
"At Bawah Reserve we are aware that tourism can boost economic growth, but without careful management, it could adversely impact the environment."
WWF-Indonesia established the Signing Blue program in 2015 with a goal of promoting responsible marine tourism across Indonesia.
The program encourages travellers and tourism businesses to amend their activities and interaction with nature to act more sustainably and protect natural resources.
Tourism related businesses such as Bawah Reserve are audited on a variety of strict criteria by a team of independent auditors before being admitted into the program.
This includes their sustainability practices, community welfare and most importantly, marine conservation initiatives.
"We want to ensure that all tourism businesses are held to a similar standard to create a responsible tourism system," said WWF-Indonesia CEO Rizal Malik.
