Penang appoints new curator of Penang Botanic Gardens

GEORGE TOWN: Former research fellow from the Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM) Dr Saw Leng Guan has been appointed as the new curator of the Penang Botanic Gardens.
Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said the appointment is effective April 1 and will be on a two-year contract.
He said with Dr Saw's expertise, the state government hopes to complete the delayed draft of the garden Special Area Plan (SAP) by this year.
"With his appointment, we hope we can have more specialist input, the SAP for the garden should not be done for planning requirements only, but needs expert input in giving it full meaning," he said during a press conference at Komtar today.
Saw is an experienced botanist who was awarded the prestigious Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) Medal last year for his contribution to the understanding of Malaysian diversity and for the key role he played in conservation over the past 30 years.
Saw said he will focus in restoring the Penang Botanic Gardens and will develop three main areas which are research, conservation and education to revitalise the gardens.
"What we want to create is a garden that offers visitors a full experience during their visit," he said.
Penang Botanic Gardens was founded in 1884 and is one of the oldest botanical gardens in Southeast Asia.