Botanic Gardens
The first
"Botanical and Experimental Garden" was established in 1822 on Government
Hill at Fort Canning by Sir Stamford Raffles, the founder of Singapore and a
keen naturalist. The Garden's main task was to introduce into cultivation a
variety of crops which were of economic importance, including those yielding
timber, spices and raw materials.
That Garden closed in 1829 and it was not until 30 years later the present Singapore
Botanic Gardens was founded by a agrihorticultural society. Spread over 52 hectares,
it was subsequently handed over to the government for maintenance and today
is looked after by the National Parks Board.
In the early years, the Gardens plays an important role in fostering agricultural
development in Singapore and the region through collecting, growing and distributing
potentially useful plants.
One of the earlier and most important examples was the introduction from Brazil
in 1877 of Para Rubber, a major crop that brought great prosperity to the Asean
region. Much research, both horticultural and botanical, has been conducted
at the Botanical Gardens through the years, and many of the publications remain
authoritative references to the plants in the region.
The Gardens spearheaded orchid breeding and hybridisation programmes in the
region and played a key role in Singapore's Garden City programme through continuous
introduction of plants of horticultural and botanical value. The comprehensive
herbarium and reference library at the Gardens have also been invaluable to
research into regional flora.
In addition, the living plant collection, the research function, the 20-year-old
School of Horticulture and the various publications serve to promote public
education on various aspects of landscape planting, horticulture and botany.
Singapore
Botanic Gardens has come a long way since 1859. From a mere pleasure park for
family recreation, it has evolved into a fine tropical botanic gardens and an
important centre for botanic research.
In the next few years, research and education top the list of priorties as the
Gardens promotes the resources of its outdoor classroom for botany for Singaporeans
and tourists. The Gardens has embarked on the first phase of comprehensive programme
to upgrade and redevelop this living resource into the leading botanic institution
in the equatorial belt by the next millenium.
