The Singapore Botanic Gardens. Credit: 123rf.com
SINGAPORE’S 156-year-old Botanic Gardens has made it onto UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites, as all 21 members of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee gave the thumbs up last Saturday.
The International Council of Monuments and Sites, the panel of experts that assessed the site, said the Gardens demonstrates the evolution of a British tropical colonial garden into a world-class botanic garden, scientific institution and place of conservation and education, reported local broadsheet The Straits Times.
The 74ha Gardens’ UNESCO World Heritage Site status comes as the country marks its 50th year of nationhood. It joins the likes of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, Cambodia’s Angkor and the Great Wall of China on the prestigious list.
While there are more than 1,000 sites on the list, the Gardens is its first botanical gardens in Asia and only the third in the world, besides Italy’s Orto botanico di Padova and England’s Royal Botanic Gardens.
At least 11 other sites clinched a title on the list this year, including Jamaica’s Blue and John Crow Mountains, China’s Tusi sites and Iran’s Cultural Landscape of Maymand.
Meanwhile, the title could add a new angle to the Singapore tourism experience, which is associated with modern attractions such as the Singapore Zoo and Gardens by the Bay.
“It highlights to visitors that we have a well-preserved green space in Singapore despite its rapid development which tourists and even locals may not quite take notice of,” said Ngee Ann Polytechnic senior lecturer in tourism, Michael Chiam, to The Straits Times.
