The Singapore Botanic Gardens was a scene of jubilation on Saturday (Jul 4) evening. Close to 100 people witnessed a historic moment as the Gardens was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site following a unanimous endorsement by the 21-member World Heritage Committee.
“For me, there is a gush of joy … that we are there, that we’ve reached. And it happens during our Jubilee year,” said a visitor.
“I felt very happy, very excited because I have an emotional attachment to this place,” another said.
Singapore ministers also joined in the celebrations online.
In a Facebook post, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong congratulated the various parties involved and said the Gardens “played an important part in making Singapore a Garden City”.
Similarly, National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan posted on his blog that the decision came as a great gift for SG50.
Other ministers took time to congratulate the successful UNESCO bid at various events.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office, Masagos Zulkifli, said: “I’m elated. It is the third only garden in the world that’s been given this status. The other two, like Kew Gardens … are world heritage standard. To be acknowledged as a World Heritage standard is a great SG50 gift for Singapore. So on behalf of Singapore, I’m really thankful that they recognised this and we are celebrating as a nation.
“All the effort we have put in, to preserve our Botanic Gardens, make it a garden open for everybody, also a place where we practise conservation, has paid off and it’s paid off in a way that’s most meaningful for Singapore by getting the World Heritage status.”
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Chan Chun Sing said the inscription recognises how far Singapore has come and the efforts it has put in to build the city. But he said the country now needs to find a balance between conservation and development.
He pointed out: “This is just the beginning, and it is the beginning of a journey for us to leverage this status, for us to build up on competencies to better take care of our environment.”
“The (UNESCO) status is one thing; to be able to use it, to have a group of people who can conserve our buildings, know what to do, to strengthen our conservation and heritage work is another thing. So I think this is a very good platform for us to build that kind of competencies so that we mature as a country.”
The National Heritage Board is delighted with the outcome, but said effort must be made to continue preserving the site.
Cheryl Koh, director of marketing and corporate communications at National Heritage Board, said: “We’re really happy, but the work doesn’t stop here, because we have to continue to preserve the site to make it the World Heritage Site that everyone will love and continue for future generations of Singaporeans.”
Meanwhile, as a new UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Singapore Botanic Gardens already has plans to improve itself.
“We will be developing our Tyersall learning forest and refreshing our National Orchid Gardens with a bigger cool house in the years to come,” said Dennis Lim, deputy director of festival, events and exhibitions at National Parks Board.
Singapore Botanic Gardens is the first botanic gardens in Asia to become a World Heritage Site.
Source : Channel NewsAsia – 4 Jul 2015