Singapore Botanic Gardens commemorates its rich heritage with a year of celebrations

Singapore Botanic Gardens commemorates its rich heritage with a year of celebrations

27 March 2025, Singapore – The Singapore Botanic Gardens (the Gardens) commemorates several milestones this year, most notably the 10th anniversary of its inscription as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Designated on 4 July 2015, the Gardens is Singapore’s first and only UNESCO World Heritage Site and remains the only tropical botanical garden on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Other significant anniversaries for the Gardens are the 150th anniversary of the Singapore Herbarium and the Singapore Botanic Gardens Library of Botany and Horticulture – cornerstones of the Gardens’ research, education and conservation work – and the 30th anniversary of the National Orchid Garden. The milestones coincide with Singapore's 60th year of independence and are part of the Celebrations in our Parks and Gardens organised by the National Parks Board (NParks) for SG60. 

To commemorate these milestones, the Gardens will kick off a year-long celebration beginning with the Singapore Botanic Gardens Heritage Festival in July. Throughout the year, the public can look forward to specially curated exhibitions, events and activities that pay homage to the Gardens’ rich natural and cultural heritage, as well as its key role in Singapore’s vision as a City in Nature. 

To commemorate the 10th anniversary of the inscription of the Gardens as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, members of the public are invited to submit their personal memories of the 166-year-old Gardens for an upcoming exhibition at the CDL Green Gallery and People’s Gallery, “Planting Memories – Singapore Botanic Gardens Through the Eyes of the Community”. This exhibition will showcase the Gardens' significance as a beloved space where visitors connect with nature and create lasting memories with family and friends. The public can contribute stories, photos, audio recordings or video clips online or at designated booths in the Gardens from 4 April 2025. More details can be found on https://go.gov.sg/sbgmemories-opencall. 

Established in 1859, the Singapore Botanic Gardens played an important historical role in the introduction and promotion of many plants of economic value to Southeast Asia, including the Para Rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) tree. Closer to home, the Gardens is a beloved public space that forms part of Singapore’s social and cultural history, etched in the memories of generations of Singaporeans and visitors. Today, the Gardens continues to welcome visitors for various social, recreational and educational purposes. 

Over the years, the Gardens has expanded in scope and collections. The Singapore Herbarium, Singapore’s principal archive for botanical research specimens, has also grown in size since it was first established in 1875. Today, it holds the most extensive preserved collection of plants and fungi from Singapore, Peninsular Malaysia and the wider Southeast and South Asian region, with the oldest specimen dating back to the 1790s. This year, the Herbarium is commencing its largest scale digitalisation project to date – to digitise its 800,000 specimens and develop a data management system to store and manage the vast collection online. The public will have the opportunity to observe the digitisation process through a live viewing gallery, offering visitors a rare behind-the-scenes look at this meticulous work.

When completed in 2027, this online database will be the largest digitalised collection of specimens in Southeast Asia to date. Researchers worldwide will have access to high-resolution images and associated data of the specimens, facilitating global knowledge sharing and collaboration. This will advance botanical science, plant conservation and various applied research, including studies on extinct species or those not yet formally described. The digitalisation effort is partly supported by Aramco Asia Singapore through the Garden City Fund, NParks’ registered charity and Institution of a Public Character (IPC). As this collection would be invaluable for future generations of botanists and for flora conservation, the Gardens welcomes support from both organisations and individuals wishing to contribute towards this project. More information can be found at https://go.gov.sg/digitalherbarium.

In conjunction with the 30th anniversary of the National Orchid Garden, the SGF Orchid Show will return for its second edition in July, following its inaugural edition in 2018. The Orchid Show is co-organised by NParks and the Orchid Society of South East Asia (OSSEA). The main highlight will be an orchid competition featuring public submissions. Both dedicated hobbyists and professional growers can look out for registration details and plant categories for the competition, which will be available in the show schedule on SGF’s website (https://sgf.nparks.gov.sg/) and OSSEA’s website (https://www.ossea.org.sg/) closer to the event date. As part of SGF Orchid Show, visitors can also look forward to exquisite orchid displays at the Orchid Plaza and a MarketPlace along Maranta Avenue, both located near the entrance to the National Orchid Garden.

- End -