Public feedback wanted on nomination of Botanic Gardens for World Heritage Site

SINGAPORE - The National Heritage Board (NHB) and the National Parks Board (NParks) are holding a public consultation from Wednesday to December on two documents that will be submitted for the nomination. The first is a nomination document which provides information on how the Botanics fulfils Unesco's inscription criteria. The second document is a site management plan which proposes how the Botanics will be managed if successfully inscribed.

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Here is the full press release from the NHB and NParks:

The National Heritage Board (NHB) and the National Parks Board (NParks) are inviting the public to participate in Singapore's bid for the Singapore Botanic Gardens to be nominated as its first UNESCO World Heritage Site. From today until December 2013, the public can contribute their feedback to the Nomination Dossier at www.sbg.org.sg/unesco and have a stake in our nation's inaugural bid for a World Heritage Site listing. Public consultation is a key component of the nomination process, and public feedback will be incorporated into the Nomination Dossier where possible before it is submitted to UNESCO by 1 February 2014. The World Heritage Committee will then deliberate on the nomination and decide if the Gardens is worthy of inscription.

The Nomination Dossier comprises a Nomination Document and a Site Management Plan. The former provides supporting evidence on how the Singapore Botanic Gardens fulfils UNESCO's inscription criteria, while the latter proposes how the Gardens will be managed if successfully inscribed.

Public consultation process

Since 2010, the Government has engaged a number of stakeholders, such as the Singapore Heritage Society and the Nature Society (Singapore), on the nomination of a UNESCO World Heritage site for Singapore.

The NHB and the NParks are now inviting the general public to participate in a Public Consultation. The consultation process will be conducted in two stages, and will give the public a stake in the nomination process.

Stage 1: 11 September to 6 December 2013

In the first stage, the public can view and give feedback on the draft Nomination Document at the Gardens' website www.sbg.org.sg/unesco from 11 September to 6 December 2013.

Stage 2: November to December 2013

In the second stage, the draft Site Management Plan will be available on the website from November to December 2013 for public feedback.

The public can visit www.sbg.org.sg/unesco to download the draft Nomination Document in parts or in its entirety. Comments on various sections of the Nomination Document can also be submitted through this website. The Nomination Document will also be available for viewing at the three Visitor Information Counters at the Gardens.

Ms Jean Wee, Director of the Preservation of Sites and Monuments, NHB said, "This is an important milestone for Singapore as we move towards realising our inaugural bid for a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Singapore Botanic Gardens has been, and continues to be an important site of memory, and we would very much appreciate Singaporeans contributing their input in ways that they feel will support its successful inscription. We know the evaluation process will be extremely stringent, with many strong contenders around the world. With everyone's contribution, we hope to be able to strengthen our bid and fully satisfy the requisite justification."

Dr Nigel Taylor, Director of the Singapore Botanic Gardens, said: "Over the last two years, we have obtained many interesting details on the history of the Gardens that support our bid. Through this public consultation process, we want more people to come forward and share historical information or ideas about the Gardens. We could also use the information gathered to make the heritage tours of the Gardens more meaningful for our visitors."

Where possible, relevant feedback and information gathered from the public consultation process will be included in the Nomination Document. The Nomination Dossier will be submitted to UNESCO by 1 February 2014.