Speech by 2M Desmond Lee at the Opening of the Ethnobotany Garden
Jun 30, 2018
I am very happy to join you today for this very special project, the opening of the Ethnobotany Garden right here at the Singapore Botanic Gardens (SBG).
This is NParks’ latest effort to enhance our UNESCO World Heritage Site. We want to ensure that our Gardens continues to offer diverse experiences for everyone, all our visitors – whether you are a regular park user, nature lover, or even a history buff. For example, in March of last year, we launched the Learning Forest, it is a place where visitors can immerse themselves in wetland and rainforest habitats. And in November of last year, we expanded the Jacob Ballas Children’s Garden so that more children can be inspired by nature through play. These facilities have been very well-received so far.
This year, our aim is to further SBG’s role in outreach and education. That is why we have set up the new Ethnobotany Garden. Simply put, ethnobotany is the study of the relationship between plants and people. With this Garden, we hope to grow the awareness about the impact that plants have had on the lives of people in Southeast Asia throughout the years.
Let me share some of the Garden’s highlights with all of you. The Garden is divided into four zones – living, symbolism, medicinal and craft. Each zone features artefacts that show how plants have traditionally been used in our region. For instance, you can admire baby carriers made of Belian wood in the craft zone. These are used by the Orang Ulu tribe in Sarawak. Also in the craft zone, you can view dye plants such as the Clitoria ternatea which is a blue pea which is used by Peranakans to colour their rice. SBG has also worked with the community in the development of the zones. For instance, Miss Aileen Toh from Sculpture Society Singapore created sculptures of indigenous people using salvaged wood pieces. In addition, SBG commissioned mural artist Mr Yip Yew Chong to do a series of four murals depicting the various zones.
Connecting some of the zones is a series of water bodies, which extend from the existing Eco-Lake. Water is an essential resource, and human settlements have usually been set up near coastal areas and waterbodies. People have also developed ingenious ways of using the flora in these areas for their daily needs. Take the Mangrove Cannonball Tree. If you visit the Gardens you can’t help but admire some of these works of art sculpted through nature. As per its name, the tree can be easily recognised by its very large, round fruit, and almost every part of that tree can be used. The wood is valued in making boats and furniture. The bark, for toughening fish nets. And the roots and seeds as medicine. You can find this tree, and other water-dependent species, planted along the stream.
In addition to the outdoor Garden, we have set up a Centre for Ethnobotany for visitors to cap off their learning journeys to the Garden, with exhibits on SBG’s role in economic and community botany through the years.
At this Centre, you can delve deeper into the history of several plants that have impacted the fortunes of our region. For instance, rubber seedlings were successfully cultivated in the Gardens in the 19th century, and that is closely intertwined with the early years of the Gardens. This in fact led to the launch of the rubber industry in Malaya. The nutmeg was another plant that was grown here. This aromatic spice defined trade routes and even caused conflicts between colonial empires.
The Centre also dedicates an area to Henry Burkill, a former Director of these Gardens and a renowned botanist. Designed to look like his study, the area features an interactive flipbook that introduces excerpts from Burkill’s seminal work – A Dictionary of Economic Products of the Malay Peninsula. This book is a comprehensive reference of all the useful plants that are found in the tropics.
Indeed, with over 150 years of history, it is not surprising that the Gardens and its professional staff have made invaluable contributions to the botanical sciences. Moving forward, SBG will continue expanding its role as a world-class institution for tropical plant research and conservation. For example, it will be embarking on a project to record the different uses and ethnic significance of uncommon vegetables, fruits and spices in Singapore. As a start, SBG will do this by working with students from the Nanyang Technological University to interview stall holders at markets in the Geylang area. From these conversations, we hope to gain insights about our heritage to share during events at our Centre.
In conclusion, I would like to encourage all of you here, spend some time exploring the Ethnobotany Garden and Centre with your families and friends, and certainly bring children along to come and join, and to come and learn. I hope that in doing so, we can build our collective indigenous knowledge on plants, and preserve this cultural heritage for future generations. In conjunction with this opening of the Ethnobotany Centre, the Gardens has also organised its annual Heritage Festival. Over the next two weekends starting from today, you can take part in exciting activities across our Gardens. These include garden tours, performances, and plant sales over this weekend and next.
Thank you for joining us here this Saturday morning. I hope you will enjoy yourselves, and enrich ourselves with knowledge this weekend. Thank you very much.