Singapore Botanic Gardens, the city-state's only World Heritage property

Background

The Singapore Botanic Gardens is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List under criteria (ii) and (iv), both of which are cultural criteria. It was inscribed in 2015.
UNESCO's statement of Outstanding Universal Value describes it as "situated at the heart of the city of Singapore" and as demonstrating "the evolution of a British tropical colonial botanic garden from a 'Pleasure Garden' in the English Landscape Style, to a colonial Economic Garden with facilities for horticultural and botanical research, to a modern and world-class botanic garden, scientific institution and place of conservation, recreation and education".
The inscribed property covers 49 ha and is surrounded by a buffer zone of 137 ha.
UNESCO records "the development of the garden since its creation in 1859".
The justification for criterion (ii) states that the Gardens "has been a centre for plant research in Southeast Asia since the 19th century, contributing significantly to the expansion of plantation rubber in the 20th century". UNESCO also notes that it "has been an important centre for science, research and plant conservation, notably in connection with the cultivation of rubber plantations, in Southeast Asia since 1875".
Criterion (iv) treats it as "an outstanding example of a British tropical colonial botanic garden", notable for its preserved landscape design and continuity of purpose.
Singapore ratified the World Heritage Convention on 19 June 2012, and the Singapore Botanic Gardens is the only property it has on the World Heritage List.