UNESCO Heritage SiteGroup E

UNESCO Heritage Sites

• A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance.• Could be a mountain, building, lake, island, desert• Examples: - Mount Fuji (Japan) - Historic Centre of Florence (Italy)

Site Chosen: Macritchie

History

• Before the early 19th century, most of the island was covered in primary forest. • Between 1820 and 1870, a substantial portion of virgin forest was

cleared to develop the island as an important trading post. • Prior to this, many Chinese planters had also worked the land for

timber and the cultivation of crops like gambier, pepper and rubber• By 1886, only 10% of the original forest cover remained. • MacRitchie Reservoir is Singapore's first reservoir, built in 1867-68.

History

• The development of the Reservoir brought the forest devastation around the area to a halt• The forest around the reservoir was protected as a water catchment

reserve

Tree Top Walk

• Free-standing suspension bridge connects the two highest points (Bukit Peirce and Bukit Kalang) in MacRitchie• Offers a bird's eye view of the community of plants and animals that

live in the forest canopy• Total length of the walkway - 250m• Highest point – 25m above ground

Tree Top Walk

Usefulness

• Provides an avenue of nature recreation for people• Plays an important role in forest canopy research (Researchers lack

accessibility to such a height)• Help to facilitate surveys and plant identification work and further our

understanding of how forest ecosystems work

Reasons for choosing Macritchie

• MacRitchie consists of primary and secondary forests, meaning there is a large variety of plants and animals that live there• Rubber trees, remnants of the plantations from the 19th century, can

be seen along the fringes around the reservoir.• Tree Top Walk provides an avenue for many researchers to conduct

their research on canopy trees• Contains the most important and significant natural habitats for in-

situ conservation of biological diversity, including those containing threatened species of outstanding universal value from the point of view of science or conservation.

Why not Sungei Boloh

• MacRitchie seems to have a wider diversity of organisms as compared to Sungei Boloh• More people visit MacRitchie as compared to Sungei Boloh;

Macritchie seems more appealing to people

Other similar sites

• Kinabalu Park (Malaysia)• One of the most important biological sites in the world with more

than 4,500 species of flora and fauna, including 326 bird and around 100 mammal species

Statement of authenticity

• Tree top walk was built in 2004• Allows the visitors to observe a wide range of plants and animals• Wild boars, lemurs and macaques

Universal Outstanding Value - Environmental• Environmental:Has different habitats: - Mature secondary forest - Secondary forest - Streams - Wetland forests

Universal Outstanding Value - Economical• When tourists visit the tree top walk or nature trail, they will hire a

guide to show them through the forest• This creates jobs for the guides and increases revenue for the country

References

• http://whc.unesco.org/en/criteria/• http://infopedia.nl.sg/articles/SIP_159_2004-12-27.html• http://www.wildsingapore.com/places/macr.htm• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MacRitchie_Reservoir• http://

www.nparks.gov.sg/cms/index.php?option=com_visitorsguide&task=attractions&id=64&Itemid=73• http://www.sabahparks.org.my/eng/kinabalu_park/

Thank you