The commission is funding no more than 50 percent of any project, a ceiling that has forced planners to seek matching funds from local and European development agencies, corporations and individuals. With public-sector budgets tight and private philanthropy modest, there's no guarantee of success. The Earth Center, an environmental research and exhibition complex in Doncaster, is developing only a 26 acre core of its 400-acre site because it has matching funds for just 40 million of the 100 million project. At Eden, which is still seeking 10 million, Mr. Smit said he would like to sign up some American corporate sponsors. In Wales, the self-sustainable ethos of the botanical gardens is being extended to financing as well as the environment.
Construction is to take place in three phases as funding becomes available.
Each building is supposed to be financially self-sufficient, Mr. Stirton said. That may mean putting a roof over the courtyard by the stables to accommodate concerts or corporate functions. The gardens also plans to sell plants and seeds, on site and abroad, through partnerships with botanical gardens in as many as 40 countries.