Page 34 - BBC Wildlife Volume 36 #04

Smit’s solution – Edens on every continent Chinese work materialised after a Chinese Zedong’s revolutionaryheadquarters and end-
– is not cultural imperialism but an attempt businessman – “the equivalent of Richard point for his Long March. As Smit remarks
“to get the benefitof a whole range of cultural Branson but cooler” – gave an interview in cutely: “We want to become the second most
responses to the environment so we can China declaring that theEden Project was famous tourist destination in Yan’an.” Smit’s
learn from each other about what is working the most exciting thing he’d ever seen. After third Chinese venture is most recognisably
where,” hesays. For instance, Eden is poised hosting delegations from all around China, ‘Eden’: a new centre bringing together food
to buy the largest remaining privately owned Smit was invited over and is now launching and farming within two giant quarries in
sequoia forest in California. It contains three-and-a-half projects in the country. Tianjin, the coastal city for Beijing. And his
300 trees more than 3,500 years old.Inso The first, where spades should hit the soil final “half” project is an Eden China HQ in a
doing, Smit has learned that a “languageof in June, is a visitor destination highlighting vineyard growing on a 35-acre landfill site.
pessimism” is hopeless in the United States. the marineenvironment. Itswaterside Unsurprisingly, Smit’s meetings with
“They don’t want to know. But if you position in the city of Qingdao is equivalent, Chinese politicians – including President
paint championing the environment as an claims Smit, to the site of the Sydney Opera Xi – and private companies funding these
opportunity, oh yeah,they’re with it,” Smit House. But, crucially, likeEden in schemes has given him a more nuanced
says. That said, his vision for the sequoia Cornwall, it is “on poisoned ground”. understanding than the West’s
Eden is still challenging. “Somethinglike Smit wants each Eden to reflect local perception of coal-burning and toxic
43 civilisations have risen and returned to culture and concerns but each must yellow smogs. As well as China’s
dust whilethose trees been living. Wouldn’t also restore “ruined” land. massive solar industry, Smit says the
it be great if you could convene people in an The second project, in Yan’an countryhas planted more trees than
education centre to have conversations about city on theYellow River, will the rest of the world put together in the
what long-term might actually mean?” showcase the importance of past three years. It’s aiming to plant new
soil. Locals realised that if they forests the size of Ireland in 2018 alone.
ost of these new Edens are felled trees, their clay soils Smit doesn’t presume to precisely
serendipitous; Smit possesses a turned into mud, washed into describe the mindset of its leaders
gift for grasping opportunities the river, raised its bed but perceives “a blind faith that they
and developing them in a way and caused devastating are clever enough to sort this [global
M thatfew of us woulddare. One floods.Yan’anisalso environmental crisis]. And now
is a rainforest Eden in Costa Rica on formerly famed for being Mao is the time.” China, he believes,
drought-stricken farmland ‘rewilded’ by a “will be good for the world”.
Danish philanthropist. This came about Eden Project’s So too, he thinks, will Dubai.
WEEEman was made
after a chance encounter in a London lift; Environmentalists may wonder
from waste an average
Smit gave a friend of the philanthropist’s UK person throws away how a desert cityfamed for
son a minute to make his pitch. Smit’s in their lifetime. its vast air-conditioned

34 BBC Wildlife April 2018