When I first heard that the authorities were considering this nomination, I was extremely skeptical about it. My reaction was "But the place is so altered!" And yet in the comparison study, it is suggested that this one is the best example of a British tropical colonial botanic garden in the region. Comparisons were made with the ones in Penang and Hong Kong, among others.

There are other places in the country that have much more potential of passing the OUV test in my opinion. Unfortunately, as also observed by the previous reviewer, any inscription will affect development plans. In fact, I wonder how they are going to handle the large buffer zone around the Gardens if inscribed. I suspect some people may regret the nomination in the future. The people who should understand may not completely understand the implications of having WHS status.

That is of course not to say that I do not like my country's Botanic Gardens. It is definitely a wonderful place to take a walk in and be away from the city for a bit. However, these Botanic Gardens have always been to me just a large nice garden. Nevertheless, I will still support the nomination, even if I am not entirely convinced of its worthiness on the List. And since this is Singapore's first WHS, maybe the Committee will be extra lenient.

The nomination dossier can be found on the Singapore Botanic Gardens official website.