Gardens and landscaping are as much a part of a country’s development as infrastructure and modern buildings. NIK IMRAN ABDULLAH writes.

THE Government has envisioned that the development of the country is based on a marriage of natural beauty of gardens and modern structures.

The mix of the two elements provides a balanced development outlook for the nation.

“As there is an abundance of greenery around us, people tend to take the beauty of nature for granted.

“We need to change this mind-set because we have vast tropical vegetation which can be exploited to beautify our country,” said National Landscape Department director-general Datuk Ismail Ngah.

Ismail said the move towards placing more value on having gardens is in tandem with the Government’s plan to turn Malaysia into a “Garden Nation”.

The first step taken by the Government, he added, was the setting up the department in 1996 to focus on landscaping as part of national development.

Further, he said, the Government recognised that the landscape profession can contribute significantly towards realising this vision.

Ismail said that builders, especially residential property developers, had found that housing estates with attractive landscape designs had added value.

And, there was a significant financial reward for developers who took the initiative to build landscaped gardens at their project sites.

House buyers, he added, are now willing to pay more to own properties surrounded by beautifully landscaped gardens.

This, he explained, showed that more people had grown to appreciate a natural environment by having gardens around them.

“Our aim is to make appreciation of natural beauty a culture among the people.”

Once the culture is ingrained, he said, environmental damage can be reduced as people will value their natural surroundings.

“Indiscriminate leveling of hills and chopping down trees then will no longer be a problem for the country.”

Ismail said this is part of the objective of holding The Malaysia International Landscape and Garden Festival.

It is hoped that people will get to learn how to incorporate a landscaped garden in their homes.

The various gardens on display will give ideas to the public on good designs and how to combine “soft” and “hard” landscapes.

“People will understand that a landscaped garden is not just about planting flowers as other elements such as waterfalls, playgrounds, walkway and pavement can also be integrated into the whole work.

“But, the first step is for them to value the beauty of nature and the need to preserve it.”

According to Ismail, the landscape industry will also benefit from the festival as it can promote its products and services to visitors.

Those who also stand to benefit include landscape contractors, nursery owners and suppliers of pavement materials.

Ismail said it is normal to see well-designed gardens in developed countries as their level of appreciation of natural beauty is higher.

“Our people may not have reached their level but we are moving in that direction.”

He noted that although the affluent seemed to have landscaped gardens, cost should not stop others from creating their own.

“With some knowledge, you do not even have to spend much to design your own garden.”

The department, Ismail said, has regular campaigns to raise awareness of people in appreciating the environment.

Annually, 15 competitions are held on landscape designs as a way to attract the public to appreciate beautiful gardens.

The focus is now on developing more public parks and beautifying road shoulders with plants.

The Government has given recognition to landscape artists as professional workers as they can contribute to balanced development.

March 3 has been declared National Landscape Day to create public awareness of the importance of preserving and beautifying their surroundings.

In conjunction with the festival, a seminar on landscaping will be held from Tuesday to Thursday.

About 150 participants, including 50 foreigners, are expected to attend the seminar themed “Landscape: Capital Development Value”.

Eleven speakers, including Ismail, will provide in-depth information on policy and development value.

The other speakers include Dutch landscape architect Robbert Van Nouhuys, Indonesian entrepreneur Lilia S. Sukutjo and Japanese businessman Kashino Naosiro.

The seminar is jointly organised by the department, Institute of Landscape Architect Malaysia and Malaysian Industry Landscape Association.

Those who will be taking part in the seminar include local government officers, property developers, academicians, horticulturists, engineers and architects.

The organisers hope that the seminar will enlighten participants that landscaping is one of the approaches to value-added development.

The seminar also aims to highlight the importance of landscape work in development, and more importantly, in striking a balance in development programmes.