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Bogor deputy mayor calls for more LIPI funding, coordination in Gardens' World Heritage bid
In addition to more funding, the mayor of Bogor has called for better coordination toward the park's bid to attain World Heritage Site status.
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Trees tower over a lush, landscaped lawn at the historical Bogor Botanical Gardens in Bogor, West Java, in this file photo. (The Jakarta Post/Donny Fernando)
T
he Bogor municipal administration in West Java has urged the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) to increase funding and improve public facilities at the city’s iconic Bogor Botanical Gardens amid its efforts to gain UNESCO World Heritage Site status for the park.
LIPI oversees the park management.
Bogor Deputy Mayor Dedie A. Rachim said the administration fully supported the idea to propose the garden for inclusion on the prestigious list, and noted that it would take an integrated effort between the city planning agency and park management to attain the goal.
“We need to anticipate visits by foreign tourists [with] better infrastructure and accommodation,” he said at a recent workshop in Bogor.
Dedie added that communications would also play a key role in integrating the efforts of all relevant stakeholders.
He said he had also asked LIPI to be more involved in developing and maintaining public facilities such as parking, sidewalks and souvenirs, and requested more funding.
The park charges local visitors an entrance fee of Rp 15,000 (US$1.07) each, of which the Bogor administration receives Rp 1,000.
“Bogor municipality receives [an income of] Rp 1.1 billion per year from LIPI. But in my opinion, this figure is not enough, considering the current state of congestion,” he said, suggesting that visitors to the gardens contributed to the notorious traffic snarls in the city.
Famed for its vast collection of flora, its historical structures and landscaping, Bogor Botanical Gardens made it on the UNESCO World Heritage tentative list in April following intense government campaigning since 2017.
Hendrian, the acting head of the garden’s plant conservation research program, said he welcomed the Bogor administration's support for the garden's World Heritage nomination.
“The nomination represents not just the garden, LIPI and Bogor, but also Indonesia. We need to strengthen communication to improve our plans for developing [the gardens],” he said.
