Last updated: April 2023
Angkor Botanical Garden is Cambodia's first botanical garden, located in the city of Siem Reap. It is a popular tourist attraction for visitors from around the world who visit the famous Angkor Wat Buddhist temple. The garden was developed by APSARA National Authority with multiple benefits, including preventing forest land encroachment, conservation of natural resources, development of tourism, conservation of the Angkor archaeological site, environmental education, and preservation of rare and endemic plants (Ref 1, 4). Moreover, the garden has been also well-received as a place for relaxation and recreation. (Ref 1 and 2) The garden was initially a 2-hectare spice garden, which has been transformed into a 15-hectare garden with an automatic irrigation system linked to the Siem Reap River and landscaped with hills, ponds, canals, and waterfalls (Ref 1). The garden has more than 500 different species of plants and is developed to showcase the relationship between plants and animals (Ref 4). In the future, the garden is planned to be expanded into an area of 130 hectares. (Ref 2)
Angor Botanical Garden
https://helloangkor.com/attractions/angkor-botanical-garden/
Overview
Nature-based solution
- Blue infrastructure
- Lakes/ponds
- Parks and urban forests
- Large urban parks or forests
- Botanical gardens
Key challenges
- Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
- Habitat and biodiversity conservation
- Green space creation and/or management
- Cultural heritage and cultural diversity
- Preservation of natural heritage
- Promotion of cultural diversity
- Health and well-being (SDG 3)
- Creation of opportunities for recreation
- Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
- Environmental education
- Economic development and employment (SDG 8)
- Tourism support
Focus
Creation of new green areas, Knowledge creation and awareness raising, Monitoring and maintenance of habitats and/or biodiversity
Project objectives
To develop the botanical garden as an essential tourist destination (Ref 1)
To showcase and promote different kinds of plants and increase the interest of the public in nature conservation (Ref 1)
To preserve various medicinal plants and provide research opportunities (Ref 1)
To develop the garden in line with the standards of the International Botanical Garden by acquiring rare plants and wildlife species (Ref 2)
To expand the green landscape of the area (Ref 2)
Implementation activities
The botanical garden was established on a 15-ha plot, expanding the 2-ha spice garden established in 2005. The garden was renovated with water lines from the Siem Reap River in 2010 (Ref 2). In the latest development, the 15-ha area was developed with five separate sections - a medicinal and spice garden, a flower garden with grass lawns, a palm grove, and a forested nature and wildlife area (Ref 1). More than 500 different species of plants were planted, and the overall landscape was designed to accommodate small hills and waterfalls (Ref 3). The garden is designed with an automatic irrigation system linked to the Siem Reap River and includes landscaping with hills, ponds, canals, and waterfalls (Ref 1).
The garden also intends to be a center of research and learning for students, and the project has a particular focus on preserving the collection of plants by showing names, both common and scientific and naming the region of origin of those plants, in order for visitors to learn about the different plant species found in and out of Cambodia (Ref. 4).
Future plans of implementation include expanding the area to 130 hectares (Ref 2).
Biodiversity conservation or restoration-focused activities
Biodiversity conservation:
- Protect and enhance urban habitats
- Preserve and strengthen existing habitats and ecosystems
- Create new habitats
- Protect species
- Undertake specific measures to protect species
- Undertake specific measures to protect native species
- Undertake specific measures to protect endangered species
- Undertake specific measures to protect valued species
- Means for conservation governance
- Manage biological resources for conservation and sustainable use
- Raise public awareness
- Create and use scientific knowledge for conservation
Main beneficiaries
- National-level government
- Local government/Municipality
- Citizens or community groups
Governance
Management set-up
- Government-led
Type of initiating organisation
- National government
- Local government/municipality
Participatory approaches/ community involvement
- Unknown
Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project
The botanical garden was developed by Apsara National Authority (ANA) – a government body tasked with managing the Angkor Archaeological Park.
Project implemented in response to ...
... an EU policy or strategy?
No
... a national policy or strategy?
Unknown
... a local policy or strategy?
Unknown
Financing
Total cost
Unknown
Source(s) of funding
- Unknown
Type of funding
- Unknown
Non-financial contribution
Type of non-financial contribution
- Provision of labour
Who provided the non-financial contribution?
- Citizens (e.g. volunteering)
Impacts and Monitoring
Environmental impacts
- Green space and habitat
- Promotion of naturalistic styles of landscape design for urban development
- Increased green space area
- Increased number of species present
- Increased protection of threatened species
- Increased spread of native/heirloom/open-pollinated seed
Economic impacts
- More sustainable tourism
- Generation of income from NBS
Socio-cultural impacts
- Social justice and cohesion
- Fair distribution of social, environmental and economic benefits of the NBS project
- Improved access to urban green space
- Increased involvement of locals in the management of green spaces
- Cultural heritage and sense of place
- Improvement in people’s connection to nature
- Protection of natural heritage
- Protection of historic and cultural landscape / infrastructure
- Increased appreciation for natural spaces
- Education
- Increased support for education and scientific research
- Increased knowledge of locals about local nature
- Increased awareness of NBS and their benefits
Type of reported impacts
Expected impacts, Achieved impacts
Presence of formal monitoring system
Unknown
Presence of indicators used in reporting
No evidence in public records
Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports
No evidence in public records
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
No evidence in public records
References
(1) Bunthoeurn, O 2022, Siem Reap’s Angkor Botanical Garden opens, The Phnom Penh Post, 19 May, viewed on 04 March 2023, Source link
(2) Sunly, C 2022, Angkor Botanical Garden inaugurated in Siem Reap, Khmer Times, 20 May, viewed on 04 March 2023, Source link
(3) Unknown, 2022, Angkor Botanical Garden in Siem Reap city all set to receive visitors this month, 11 May, viewed on 04 March 2023, Source link
(4) Yalirozy T, 2022, Botanical Garden Opens in Siem Reap, 19 May, viewed on 04 March 2023, Source link
(2) Sunly, C 2022, Angkor Botanical Garden inaugurated in Siem Reap, Khmer Times, 20 May, viewed on 04 March 2023, Source link
(3) Unknown, 2022, Angkor Botanical Garden in Siem Reap city all set to receive visitors this month, 11 May, viewed on 04 March 2023, Source link
(4) Yalirozy T, 2022, Botanical Garden Opens in Siem Reap, 19 May, viewed on 04 March 2023, Source link
Angor Botanical Garden
https://helloangkor.com/attractions/angkor-botanical-garden/
Angor Botanical Garden
https://helloangkor.com/attractions/angkor-botanical-garden/
Information about this nature-based solution was collected as part of the "NBS 2022" UNA Asian extension project funded by the Asia-Europe Foundation.