the Singapore Symphony Orchestra and Singapore Chinese Orchestra. On 10 October 2008, a statue of the composer Frédéric Chopin was unveiled just south of Symphony Lake. The headquarters of the National Parks Board is located within the grounds of the Singapore Botanic Gardens. Eateries within the garden include the one-Michelin-starred Corner House, a casual fine-dining restaurant in a colonial bungalow; Casa Verde, a café at the Visitor Centre; and Halia Restaurant, a restaurant at the Ginger Garden. There are also gift shops for visitors. Singapore's national agency in biodiversity-related issues, the National Biodiversity Centre, is also located within the grounds of the gardens. UNESCO An official application for Singapore Botanic Gardens to be listed as a World Heritage Site was submitted to UNESCO in January 2014. The bid underlines the gardens' historical and cultural significance and its achievements in conservation and research. A 700-page nomination dossier was compiled and written up over one-and-a-half years, led by the National Heritage Board's (NHB) preservation of sites and monuments division and the Botanic Gardens director, Dr Nigel Taylor, who was also involved in the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew's own UNESCO bid from 2000 to 2003. As part of the process, the dossier had to seek the assessment of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), a separate professional association. On 16 May 2015, ICOMOS's panel of experts backed the inscription without reservation – the best recommendation possible, stating: On 4 July that year, in Bonn, the 39th session of the World Heritage Committee deliberated Singapore's submission, and all 21 members endorsed it. Dr Taylor recalled the unanimous vote: Singapore Botanic Gardens is the first tropical, and only the third botanic gardens on the UNESCO World Heritage listing. The honour was widely noted as a fitting tribute to the nation's 50th year of independence. Gallery See also Botanic Gardens MRT station Napier MRT station List of botanical gardens List of parks in Singapore List of World Heritage Sites in Singapore Tourism in Singapore References National Heritage Board (2002), Singapore's 100 Historic Places, Archipelago Press, . Singapore Botanic Gardens (1989), Visions of Delight: The Singapore Botanic Gardens through the ages, by Bonnie Tinsley, Tien Wah Press, Singapore, . External links Singapore Botanic Gardens – Official site Jacob Ballas Children's Garden National Parks Board website 1859 establishments in the British Empire Botanical gardens in Singapore Zoos in Singapore Former zoos Parks in Singapore Tanglin