enviroMETS visits “The Eden Project,”
a former open-cut mine transformed
into a garden tourism mecca.
“Never letting a good opportunity pass, key collaborator with enviroMETS, Dr Brett Heyward was able to get a full briefing on the repurposing of this old China Clay mine by Dr Pete Whitbread-Abrutat, one of the pioneers who was there at the very first planting. It’s located the Cornish countryside, just outside of the picturesque port of Charlestown.
The Eden Project started in the late 1990s from a three-million-pound investment, the site has bloomed into a multi-sensory, garden-based tourist attraction. Receiving funds from the UK millennial project fund, it was able to create its first biosphere of tropical plants. From there, several other funding opportunities emerged, and the site is now brimming with activity.
There are two major biospheres, one dedicated to tropical biomes, the other hosting a range of temperate, Mediterranean, Spanish and Australian plants. Other buildings include the science centre (opened by the Queen in the mid-2000s), a flying fox ride that spans the whole canopy of the gardens, and a visitor centre.
Dr Whibread-Abrutat praised the commitment from the major miners, particularly Rio Tinto, for the generous contributions made to the development of the project over the past two decades.
Not only is the site used to house precious and rare specimens of plants from around the world, it also enables experimental applications of soil development (they created 6 types of new soils used in the site from clay waste and other materials), cliff covering and innovative water management systems. It also enables mining companies such as Rio-Tinto to explain the projects and innovations they are researching and commissioning to improve post-mining outcomes in other parts of the world.
The project has not been without its challenges, with underground water penetration to manage. Again, the technical expertise provided by the local METS sector has been critical in solving these engineering challenges.
Dr Whitbread-Abrutat noted that the key ingredient in getting a project like this up and running is strong collaboration from government and industry and community. He believes that through multi-disciplinary inputs and skills, excellent creative solutions can be tried and tested for working with complex sites such as ageing and disused mine sites.
enviroMETS is assisting Dr Pete Whitbread-Abrutat when he visits Australia next week on the last leg of his global study tour for the update of his updated book “102 Things to Do with A Hole in the Ground”.
Whilst here, Pete will visit 11 world-class mine rehabilitation projects across 6 states. He will be talking to Queensland Government representatives, and METS industry professionals interested in creating new repurposed futures for abandoned or mines in closure.
Author: Prof Brett Heyward, enviroMETS Collaborator
Download Full Article Here
