New Eden Project rainforest walkway inspires visitors 'to care' about forests

26/06/2013

Cornwall’s famous Eden Project is hoping that its latest installation – the Rainforest Aerial Walkway – will inspire visitors to realise the importance of protecting our forests for future generations.

The first phase of the new walkway – which begins at the Rainforest Basecamp – is expected to be open later this month. The basecamp provides visitors with an introduction from the perspective of people who live and work in the rainforest, from residents to canopy scientists.

The basecamp’s upper level will give visitors their first views over the rainforest canopy. They will then step onto the aerial walkway, located above the forest canopy, and walk along to ‘the Nest,’ a platform with far-reaching views across the tops of the trees.

A second aerial walkway will takes visitors deeper into the forest and to a ‘cliff path’ located on the back wall of the Biome. Native plant exhibits are currently being included in the new installation.

Dr Jo Elworthy, Eden interpretation director, told Horticulture Week: "A piece of primary forest - the size of Eden’s vast indoor jungle disappears in the wild every ten seconds. Rainforests help keep us alive wherever we live. Addressing the challenge (including how the story is told) needs a fresh approach."

"Once you have visited the rainforest it changes you forever, fuelling a desire to care. Not everyone has that opportunity so we decided to grow a rainforest right here in Cornwall, UK. Now, 12 years after we opened, our forest has grown and is reaching for the sky. At last, we have been able to start to build the walkway and, with you all, take to the trees," Dr Elworthy said.

A second phase of the walkway is currently in the planning stages, which will allow visitors to go to a Weather Station to see how rainforests contribute towards the global climate. The Met Office is working closely with the Eden Project to deliver this next phase.