Nigel Taylor said Penang, which aims to get the Botanic Gardens inscribed as a World Heritage Site, must stay true to the principle of the listing, which was to protect and educate the public on nature.
He said before applying for the listing, all stakeholders, especially residents living nearby, must be part of the discussion.
“You must prepare for more scrutiny. It is not going to be the easiest thing to do.
“Tourist dollars must not be the driver for the inscription. It is protection and education for the public on the rich heritage the gardens provide,” he said in a talk on how Singapore’s Botanic Gardens’ (SBG) attained Unesco listing three years ago.
Taylor curated the Kew Gardens for 34 years before moving to Singapore to be the director of the SBG.
When asked about the much-speculated cable car project to be built at the Penang Gardens, Taylor said it all boiled down to how it would be built.
“The first thing is, if it was built in a way where people could get closer to appreciate the beauty of nature, it would be positive.
“The second thing is, it has to be done in a way that does not damage nature.
“If you have to put in pylons or structures to support them (the cable car), it is very important where you place them.
“If you place them in the forest badly, they will damage the roots of trees; you will lose the trees. It is how you do it that matters.”
Lee Kuan Yew’s influence on Singapore Botanic Gardens
Recalling a unique feature in Singapore’s Botanical Gardens (SBG), Taylor said the surroundings are free from skyscrapers, thanks to former prime minister Lee Kuan Yew.
He said Lee had asked the city-state’s town planners to have a height limit on all buildings surrounding SBG.
Taylor said the 1km radius centred around the bandstand, SBG’s highest point.
“Lee Kuan Yew told the Urban Redevelopment Authority to maintain a 1km buffer around the gardens. He told them nothing could be higher than the bandstand.
“This was unlike what happened to the Kew Gardens. Unesco had to call up the authorities when buildings started sprouting up near it,” Taylor said.
The SBG was inscribed as a Unesco World Heritage Site in 2015.
The Singapore gardens is the first in Asia and the third botanic gardens in the world inscribed as a World Heritage Site, following Orto botanico di Padova, Italy, and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, England.
Unesco heritage status possible for Penang’s gardens, says expert