Page 240 - The Guide To Sarawak

238 NATURE
TALANG-SATANG NATIONAL PARK
(Kuching Division) Sarawak’s first marine protected area, Talang- Satang National Park covers 19,414 hectares of coastline and waters surrounding four islands; Pulau Talang- Talang Besar and Pulau Talang-Talang Kecil (located off Sematan), and Pulau Satang Besar and Pulau Satang Kecil (located off Santubong). Three of the islands provide shelter
and resting grounds for sea turtles that come ashore to lay their eggs. The park also includes the Pulau Tukong Ara-Banun Wildlife Sanctuary, two small rocky outcrops which house breeding colonies of bridled terns and black- naped terns. Pulau Satang Besar, the largest island, is accessible by a 20-minute boat ride from Santubong.
It is open to visitors and offers a turtle hatchery, one of the best beaches in Sarawak, and snorkelling on the nearby reef.
The Talang-Talang Islands are the location for the Sea Turtle Adoption Programme, running from May to September each year, which allows visitors to actively participate in turtle conservation.
KUCHING WETLANDS NATIONAL PARK (Kuching Division) Kuching Wetlands National Park is Malaysia’s first Ramsar Site (1995), a wetland of international importance, covering
6,610 hectares of saltwater mangrove ecosystem
with an extensive network of marine waterways
and tidal creeks. It is an important spawning and nursery ground for fish
and prawn species and contains a wide diversity
of wildlife, including Irrawaddy dolphins, proboscis monkeys, long tailed macaque monkeys, silver-leaf monkeys, monitor lizards, estuarine crocodiles and a range of birdlife, including kingfishers, white- bellied sea eagles and
shore birds, including the rare lesser adjutant stork. The park is accessible via boat tours, which offer an excellent introduction to the mangrove environment along one of the most interesting coastlines in Sarawak.
BATANG AI NATIONAL PARK
(Sri Aman Division)
Batang Ai National Park, 4 hours drive and 90 minutes boat ride from Kuching, covers 240 sq km adjacent to the vast Lanjak Entimau
Talang-Satang National Park - the turtle islands of Sarawak Living proof of Talang-Satang’s success - sea turtle extend a warm welcome to conservation volunteers. hatchlings waiting to be released.