ABOVE: Dr Leong, DCEO of NParks Singapore and Kim Morris, National President of AIH after signing the MOC, November 2010

LATEST NEWS: NATIONAL PARKS BOARD OF SINGAPORE EXTENDS MEMORANDUM OF COLLABORATION WITH AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF HORTICULTURE 

On 20th November 2010, NParks Singapore renewed its Memorandum of Collaboration (MOC) with the Australian Institute of Horticulture (AIH). The MOC signing ceremony, which took place at Sydney’s Royal Botanical Gardens, was part of AIH’s Golden Anniversary Dinner and National Awards celebration. With this MOC, the two organizations will continue to closely collaborate and integrate landscape and horticulture expertise to leverage on research, education, training, professional development and sustainability benchmarking capacities in both Australia and Singapore. NParks and AIH also hope to enhance the learning process and capitalize on one another’s strengths, expertise and resources to develop collaborative international credible benchmarks, standards and best practices for economic, social and environmental sustainability for the industry.

The Australian Institute of Horticulture (AIH)  and the National Parks Board (NParks) of Singapore first signed a major and significant Memorandum of Collaboration (MOC) on July 28th 2008. The Memorandum came after many discussions between the two organisations and proposed to establish closer working ties and the sharing of opportunities in the development of the profession of horticulture. AIH has agreed to endorse the Singapore Certified Practising Horticulturist Program (CPH) of which almost 100 graduates have now successfully passed through the program.

The Centre for Urban Greenery and Ecology (CUGE) Singapore is the National Parks Board entity to conduct training and professional development programs. AIH will work with CUGE and NParks in identifying ways to bring more focus and value to the profession at a time when climate and global warming have significant impact on life and the opportunity for horticulture to play a major role in the development of solutions. The lead that Singapore has taken in the development of the ‘City in a Garden’ strategy is an acclaimed and exceptional world class input to the management of ecology and environment about which AIH will learn many techniques and reciprocate with the expertise of the AIH Member Body of professionals.

Together AIH. NParks and CUGE will form a major working relationship that will also identify business opportunities on either side of the equator. Importantly Singapore graduates of CPH and landscape industry operators in the public and private sectors will be able to join AIH with the view to a wider sharing of information in the profession and to establish a strong Singapore entity and partnership with AIH.