Photo by LIM BENG TATT/The Star
A green sanctuary for all, Penang’s botanical garden is being safeguarded for the future.
The Penang Botanic Gardens Department director Mohd Azwa Shah Ahmad has assured the public that under his watch, the Gardens will not see any haphazard developments that can mar the natural heritage.
“There will not be any suka hati (indiscriminate) decisions and definitely no major projects. Before we erect anything or make any changes, I will consult all the relevant authorities, including the local council and landscape department,” he promised.
He said a report on the proposed Special Area Plan (a development and management masterplan based on sustainable values) for the Gardens, to be presented to Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng for approval, is being prepared now that a public hearing has concluded.
A study on the proposal to set up a special body to manage the Gardens (similar to George Town World Heritage Inc) is in its final stages. Mohd Azwa said this would ensure efficient staffing – a long-standing problem. “We need to get the right people who are suitably qualified to fill the vacancies.”
Meanwhile, he is focused on upgrading the bromeliad, cactus, fern and orchid houses, which are currently closed to the public. (Bromeliad is a tropical plant with rosettes of stiff, leathery leaves and bright flowers; it includes the pineapple family.)
Theft prevention
“Before we can open these attractions to visitors, we need to upgrade and either station guards there or install CCTVs to prevent thefts. Visitors strolling in and walking away with the plants were a problem previously.
“Hopefully, we can open these attractions by the middle of next year. The new 1ha Historic Economic Crop Garden featuring commodity crops like coffee, rubber, cocoa, palm oil and coconut trees, will also open very soon.”
Improving signages, adding informative labels to the plants and trees, landscaping abandoned areas, and getting a guide for the tram, are also on his checklist.
The Gardens receive some 500 visitors daily with numbers reaching 3,000 during the holiday season, he shared. “Previously, most of the visitors were joggers but now we see many tour buses coming.” He said charging a small fee for special attractions should be considered although joggers and those who come here for recreational purposes cannot be asked to pay.
“But before we can do that, we must make sure that the attractions inside the Gardens are worth paying for,” he said, noting that the herbarium collection has exceeded 5,000 species.
Asked about what makes the Gardens special, he replied without hesitation: the 12m-high waterfall that supplies water to the area’s residents.
“The towering pokok pukul lima at the entrance is the Gardens’ trademark. It is more than 130 years old so be sure to snap a picture of this heritage tree when you visit. The native pokok asam kuang, commonly found in villages, is interesting too,” he quipped.
There is a “debate” on whether the Gardens is actually older than the Singapore Botanic Gardens, which is more than 150 years old, according to botanist Datuk Dr Leong Yueh Kwong.
This is because the first gardens in the country was set up in 1796 in Penang. The Gardens in its current location was established in 1884 by the Singapore Botanic Gardens superintendent and Cheang Kok Choy was appointed its first Malaysian curator in 1956, according to A Guide To The Penang Botanic Gardens.
“This year, we celebrate the Gardens’ 130th anniversary but other gardens had existed in Penang much earlier. Unfortunately, there is no proper record of the earlier gardens and whether they were by definition, ‘botanic gardens’,” said Dr Leong.
The original function of a British Botanic Gardens was to introduce economic crops, he explained. The curator of the Kew Gardens collected plants like rubber from Brazil and coffee from Sri Lanka for this purpose. The function of the Gardens here changed too as the world did. Horticulture and recreation overtook economic goals for the British and biodiversity was recognised.
In the 1980s, Dr Leong had chaired an ad hoc committee tasked with planning the development and administration of the Gardens. The committee presented a masterplan which included a proposal to link the Gardens with the nearby Youth Park. It was never implemented because of land issues and the lack of funds.
Under the Ninth Malaysia Plan (2006-2010), the Gardens was upgraded and expanded from 29ha to 239ha with a RM7mil allocation from the Federal Government. The controversial project met with protests as people were unhappy over poor planning and an even messier execution.
Dr Leong said the Gardens used to be open 24-7 but in the 1980s, a decision to close it at night and stop vehicles from coming in was made because workers had complained that they were picking up too many used condoms!
Having visited some 80 botanic gardens the world over, Dr Leong remains enamoured by the Gardens. Its unique setting of valleys and hills holds a special place in his heart.
“The beautiful seasonal blooms like the Cassia javanica and tribes of monkeys that adopt a “time sharing” system when it comes to occupying spots in the Gardens, are things I remember vividly. There was once a guy who came with a big basket of bananas to feed the monkeys.
“The territorial monkey problem got so bad that it was alleged that the authorities trapped and released them in neighbouring Kedah, which of course, protested. Denying the allegation, Penang then asked, ‘How do you know these are monkeys from Penang?’ to which the reply was, ‘Only Penang monkeys are not afraid of people’,” he said in amusement.
“Where else can you find a jungle half-an-hour away from the city centre?” Dr Leong asked. Indeed, protected as a water catchment area, the Gardens have provided the royal palms, angsana trees, raintrees and rubber trees that famously lined the streets of George Town – some of which still stand to this day.
Related story:
Happy 130th, Penang Botanic Gardens: Gardeners share their best memories
