Why Eden? Why Cornwall?
Metal mining began in Cornwall, UK, about 3,000 years ago and ended in 1998 when South Crofty – Cornwall’s last tin mine - closed. In the early to mid-19th century the county supplied over half the world’s copper and tin, feeding the Industrial Revolution. Increasing foreign competition led to a rapid decline beginning in the late 19th century, leaving behind a depressed economy and damaged landscape and, today, one of the poorest regions in western Europe; however, china clay extraction remains vitally important to the local economy.
In recent years several major projects have sought to rejuvenate the county and reverse the economic decline. Cornwall’s mining landscapes and associated heritage have recently been awarded World Heritage Site status by UNESCO. The Site covers copper and tin mining landscapes across Cornwall and west Devon, dating from 1700 to 1914, when deep hard-rock mining was developed locally and major technological developments within the area helped to transform mining both locally and worldwide. It is estimated that World Heritage Site inscription will attract an extra 60,000 visitors to the county each year (see www.cornish-mining.org.uk).
In the St. Austell “Claylands” area, a range of environmental, social and economic regeneration initiatives are underway; projects that are transforming china clay waste dumps into new landscapes of undulating heathland and woodland and developing sustainable opportunities for the rural "Clay Villages" and creating new, state-of-the art, sustainable communities to address socio-economic decline (see www.clayfutures.org.uk and www.claycountryvision.imerys.com).
Located in an exhausted 160-year old china clay pit, the Eden Project is a unique regeneration project that has transformed a sterile, muddy scar on the landscape into an environmental educational visitor attraction and charity, aiming to demonstrate that sustainability is possible. Attracting more than one million visitors a year, Eden employs over five hundred staff and generates approximately £100 million per year for the local economy (see www.edenproject.com).
Many of the county's regeneration projects are led by actors outside the mining industry; illustrating that creativity, leadership and innovation exist beyond those normally held responsible for post-mining regeneration. We believe that Cornwall and the Eden Project provide an excellent platform on which to advance solutions to post-mining challenges around the world.