Singapore Botanic Gardens

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Singapore - Singapore - Singapore City

Institution Code: SING

BGCI Member: Yes

About the Singapore Botanic Gardens

The Singapore Botanic Gardens is a living monument to the the founding fathers of Singapore. The Gardens at its present site was founded in 1859 by an Agri-Horticultural Society. In 1874, the Society handed over management and maintenance of the site to the then British government. The scientific mission of the Gardens evolved when the colonial government assumed management and deployed Kew-trained botanists and horticulturists to administer the Gardens.

By the mid 1960s, the Gardens was taking a leading role in the greening of Singapore. To meet the need for urban landscapes and recreational areas, the Gardens' staff became involved in supplying planting material and in plant introduction to increase the variety and colour in road side and park plantings. In 1973, the Botanic Gardens merged with the Parks and Trees branch of the Public Works Department, which became the Parks and Recreation Department.

In June 1990, Singapore Botanic Gardens came under the management of the newly formed National Parks Board. The Gardens embarked upon a comprehensive improvement programme to bring it to the forefront of botanical and horticultural activity by the 21st century. In July 1996, the Ministry of National Development merged the National Parks Board and the Parks and Recreation Department into a single authority to look after the greening and beautification of Singapore. The name of the authority, a statutory board remains as National Parks Board.

The Singapore Botanic Gardens submitted its bid to become the country's first UNESCO World Heritage Site in Jan 2014. In July 2015, the Garden was inscribed as the first and only tropical botanic garden on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.

Recent attractions that were launched in the Gardens in 2010-2017 are the Learning Forest, Heritage Garden, Healing Garden, Trellis Garden, Fragrant Garden and Foliage Garden. The Healing Garden was launched in November 2010 along with the first free Smartphone Healing Garden Application. The 10 ha Learning forest was officially open on 31 March 2017, showcases the tropical lowland rainforest and the fresh water swamp habitats. The Gardens also has a Ethnobotany Gallery that is open daily. On 13 July, the SBG Seed Bank was opened and has the ability to store approximately the seeds of 25,000 species. This Seed Bank has an interpretative gallery that is open to public.

Singapore Botanic Gardens played host to the successful inaugural International Certificate in Botanic Garden Management in the Asia Pacific Region in March 2010. The Gardens had also hosted the 8th International Flora Malesiana Symposium in August 2010 which saw the highest participation from international taxonomists and botanists.

New developments that will open in 2020 in the Gardens are an Interpretative Centre and Botanical Gallery at Gallop Core, and a redeveloped National Orchid Garden.

Main Address:
Singapore Botanic Gardens
National Parks Board
1 Cluny Road
Singapore City
Singapore 259569 Singapore

Telephone: (65) 6471-7138
Fax: (65) 6473-7983
URL: www.sbg.org.sg
Primary Email: NPARKS_SBG_Visitor_Services@NPARKS.GOV.SG

Staff Details

  • Director's Name: Dr Tan Puay Yok, Director
    Curator's Name: Dr. Nura Abdul Karim
    Plant Records Officer's Name: Edmund Chia

About the Garden

  • Institution Type: Botanic Garden
  • Status
  • Status: State: Yes
  • Date founded: 1859
  • Physical Data
  • Total Area: 82 Hectares
    Latitude: 1.3144
    Longitude: 103.8211
    Annual Rainfall: 2362 mm
    Altitude: 0.00 Metres
  • Locality: Information
  • Locality: Garden Name: Taman Bunga Singapura
  • Local Address: 1 Cluny Road
  • Locality: City: Singapore City
  • Locality: State: Singapore

Features and Facilities

  • Herbarium: Yes
    Herbarium: Number of Specimens: 700000
    Arboretum: No
  • Micropropagation/ Tissue Culture Facilities: Yes
    Seed Bank: Yes
    Published Plant Catalogue: No
    Computer Plant Record System: Yes
  • Open to public: Yes
    Retail Outlet: Shop: Yes
    Disabled access: Yes
  • Number of Visitors: 5000000
    Number of Volunteers: 100

Plant Collections

  • Accession Number: 46000
    Cultivation Taxa Num: 8700
  • Special Collections:Tropical forest plants, ornamemtals & fruit trees. The major families in the collection are : Acanthaceae, Anacardiaceae, Annonaceae, Apocynaceae, Araceae, Arecaceae (Palmae), Bignoniaceae, Burseraceae, Combretaceae, Dipterocarpaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Fabaceae (Leguminosae), Malvaceae, Moraceae, Myrtaceae, Orchidaceae, Zingiberaceae.
  • Invasive Species Monitoring: No
    Invasive Species Policy: No
    Plant Collection Policy: Yes

Conservation Programmes

  • Conservation Programme: Yes
    Ex Situ Conservation Programme: Yes
    Reintroduction Programme: Yes

Research Programmes

  • Plant Breeding: Yes
    Data Management Systems and Information Technology: Yes
    Education: Yes
    Horticulture: Yes
    Molecular Genetics: Yes
    Systematics and Taxonomy: Yes

Education Programmes

  • Visitor/Education Centre: Yes
    Education Signs in Garden: Yes
    Public Lectures/Talks: Yes
    Education Booklets/Leaflets: Yes
    Guided Tours: Yes
    Permanent Public Displays: Yes
    Special Exhibitions: Yes
    Courses for School Children: Yes
    Courses for General Public: Yes
    Education Programme: Yes