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Singapore is preparing for a bid for the Singapore Botanic Gardens to be listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site, Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Lawrence Wong said on Monday.
If successful, it will be Singapore's first UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) World Heritage.
The garden, founded in 1859 by a horticultural society, was chosen for submission because it fulfils the criteria of having outstanding universal value, and it contributes to the region and the world, Wong said.
Rubber seeds grown in the garden propelled the growth of the rubber industry, and the development of Singapore from a fishing village to one of the world's busiest ports in the 20th century, he said.
News of the garden in a bid for UNESCO Heritage status has made headlines recently in Singapore since April 1.
Wong told lawmakers on Monday that the decision to nominate the gardens was based on a study commissioned by the then Ministry for Information, Communications and the Arts, and was done in consultation with experts, academics and other stakeholders.
"There was indeed consultation done, in the lead-up to even identifying the Singapore Botanic Gardens," he said. "It was not the only site that was highlighted as a possibility."
The National Heritage Board and the Singapore Botanic Gardens are currently working together on the bid and have hired a consultant to put together a nomination dossier, including a site management plan, by February 2014.
Upon submission of the nomination documents, experts from one of UNESCO's advisory bodies will carry out site assessments and study the dossier before making their recommendations. This process takes about a year.
The World Heritage Committee will then meet around June 2015 to vote on the nomination.
Authorities have said that there will be public engagement sessions in the months ahead, and the nomination document and management plan will be shared with the public.
