Eden Project

Explorer Robin Hanbury-Tenison on why he likes Eden’s rainforest just as much as the real thing

Acclaimed explorer Robin Hanbury-Tenison helped lay the foundations for the global rainforest movement. He tells us why Eden is an important part of the story too.

I’m the hot place explorer. I don’t do cold or high or the sea, if I can help it, but I have spent much of my life travelling in rainforests and deserts; and so what would I not like about having a tame rainforest right on my doorstep, where I can go and feel at home?

I’ve watched Eden [right] grow from the very beginning with increasing awe that such a gigantic and unlikely dream could become reality. It fulfils my desires for stating how the world should be – aspirations I have struggled to communicate through writing, campaigning and exploring – and it reaches millions with its message.

Rainforests and people have been my life. I was lucky enough to have been in at the start of Survival International, the first organisation to campaign for indigenous peoples and I am hugely proud of what they do. I was also privileged to be asked to lead the biggest scientific expedition ever sent out by the Royal Geographical Society, to the heart of Borneo, which cracked the rainforest code and started the global rainforest movement.

But it has been a struggle getting the message across. Eden tells the world why they matter far better than I ever could, and I am really grateful.

P.s. my favourite Eden memory is:
The extraordinary and inspiring sight when we took the land train in our hard hats along the edge of the vast clay pit in 1999. A miracle was born before our eyes, mushrooming from the mud and water of the wettest summer in memory. Long may it prosper.

Described as one of the greatest living explorers, Robin Hanbury-Tenison played a vital role in drawing global attention to the plight of rainforests, through his expeditions, research and book in the 1970s and 80s. He also co-founded Survival International, the first organisation to campaign for indigenous peoples.

Find out more about Eden’s Rainforest Biome.

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Celebrations, Eden's 10th birthday, Environment

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Eden's 10th birthday, Environment, Rainforest Biome