Mountain gorilla numbers have increased to more than 1,000 since work began, and the livelihoods of people living closest to the gorilla habitat have improved thanks to the ecotourism that the gorillas attract. Forty-five years on, now known as the International Gorilla Conservation Programme (IGCP), the project is a shining example of how community-focused, collaborative conservation can benefit both people and nature. In 1978, following a personal plea from its vice president, Sir David Attenborough, Fauna & Flora helped to establish the Mountain Gorilla Project. We are especially looking forward to welcoming the garden to its new home, after the show, in our Rainforest Biome.” We have worked closely with Jilayne and the team from start to finish, growing, nurturing and planting a good deal of the plants that are currently on view in the garden. The native African plants, that make up the majority of the 3,000 plants that feature in the garden, will then return to the warmth of the Project’s Rainforest Biome, to educate and inspire approximately one million annual visitors.Ĭatherine Cutler, Interim Head of Living Landscapes from Eden Project, said: “We are thrilled to hear that the Fauna & Flora Garden has been awarded a silver medal. Many of the plants have been grown in Cornwall, nurtured by the highly skilled horticulturists at the Eden Project. Jilayne, who grew up in Cornwall, has been designing and creating gardens for more than 20 years and made her show garden debut at the 2019 RHS Chelsea Flower Show with the CAMFED Garden, which won gold and the BBC/RHS People’s Choice Award. Our aim with the garden is to help people better understand the importance of protecting nature around the world, and how this can be best achieved through collaborative conservation efforts.” Highlighting the collaborative conservation work of Fauna & Flora, an international nature conservation charity, the Fauna & Flora Garden - which is generously sponsored by Project Giving Back - focuses on the spectacular Afromontane landscape of Central Africa along with its much-loved inhabitant, the mountain gorilla.ĭesigner, Jilayne commented: “This is a fantastic result, and I am very proud to have been able to bring the vital work of Fauna & Flora to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. The garden will be heading straight to Cornwall when the show ends, to its new home in the Eden Project’s Rainforest Biome.

Chelsea garden wild things