Singapore plans first UNESCO World Heritage site
Singapore is planning to add its name to the UNESCO World Heritage list for the first time, with a bid to protect the country’s Botanic Gardens.
The country’s Acting Minister for Culture, Community & Youth, Lawrence Wong, was reported saying this week that the gardens, which were founded in 1859, fulfill UNESCO’s criteria of having outstanding cultural and historical value. Rubber seeds grown in the garden propelled the growth of Asian rubber industry, and helped Singapore from a fishing port to a global city, he added.
Singapore’s National Heritage Board and the Singapore Botanic Gardens are now working together on the bid and plan to submit the application to UNESCO by February 2014. If approved, the Botanical Gardens are likely to be inscribed on the list in summer 2015.