That richly complex call of the nightingale is a rare presence in England these days, however not at this rural location. Four years ago, a single nightingale could be heard at this secluded spot in rural Surrey; lately, they were in multiple locations. “We were hearing them chirping all night, from multiple areas,” notes Meg Cookson, top biologist for the youth rewilding group. A team of volunteers were staying overnight at the property, however the birds were so boisterous, “we were unable to rest all night,” comments Layla Mapemba. “We were all worn out the next day, but it was so incredible.” An specialist from the local conservation group came to help them net and ring one of the nightingales the next morning, she states: “He’d never touched a nightingale in his care before. He was crying.”
Rewilding Progresses at the Surrey Site
Rewilding is by definition a slow process, but in this place at Maple Farm, after just several seasons, the changes are already visible, and noticeable. The property previously served as a retirement home for animals. Now it’s a showpiece for the Youngwilders’ purpose: to accelerate nature recovery, in one of the biodiversity-poor countries in the world, and to engage the younger generation (18-30-year-olds) with a natural world they are often shut out of, and a global warming issue they are often ineffectual to halt. Rising temperatures continues, habitat loss destroys natural habitats, and yet another Cop summit ends with a frustrating end in Brazil – so who could blame youth for wanting to take matters into their own hands?
Our organisation was based on the idea that there were individuals prepared to allow a group of youthful enthusiasts on to their property
“The newer cohort is the best educated ecologically that there’s previously,” says the Youngwilders’ founder, a key figure. They are also “the most emotionally involved in the challenges, and have added the least to their origin, and, then, are also going to be affected the greatest as a result.”
Transformation of the Site
Now, the initiative is taking root across the United Kingdom – and this location started it all, in all respects. “It’s our origin point, and where we created our connections,” notes Molly Easton, as she gives a tour of the 30-acre property. “This was previously multiple separate areas,” she says, as we move through tall vegetation dotted with shrubs, surrounded by mature woodland. “The key noticeable transformation is that we’ve removed all the fencing, a significant length of it, to give the sense like one environment.” In the recent season, they donned hazmat suits and removed significant quantities of invasive plants, an invasive species that can burn the body. “We’ve established loads of natural barriers,” explains she. “But the primary focus is we’ve just let it breathe for a little bit. We’ve eliminated a significant amount of animal feeding and noticed what’s emerged.”
Underbrush and natural fences are a perfect songbird environment, she says, but now they’re cutting back some of the brambles to develop a more range of habitats and to connect separate areas of the property. Fresh plantings will take considerably longer to grow, but new growth from the nearby woodland are already establishing themselves in the meadows; the group have been installing barriers to safeguard them from wildlife.
Nature Reappears in Large Numbers
In addition to the songbirds – animals is reappearing in droves. Recently they’ve spotted serpents, creatures, flyers and insects, notes another co-director, as he lifts up one of their monitoring tools (like a doormat over a depression in the ground). “You discover snakes and animals sheltering under there, but it’s likely a slightly cold for them now.” Natural nests, constructed from empty sections of timber and buzzing with pollinators, are strapped to some of the trees. The absence of grazing horses has allowed invertebrates opportunity to flourish in the overgrown areas. When they explored this summer, says he, “I’d not ever observed so countless lepidoptera. There were just clouds of them. We were saying, ‘What is going on?’”
Origins of the Project
The original Youngwilders – Bennett, Durant, Molly and additional members – formed as students, studying or sharing an passion in environmental science. In that year, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change was indicating that the target of 1.5C of climate change was looking out of reach, a prominent figure was guiding the school strikes for eco-awareness, and activist Clover Hogan was discussing young people feeling “eco-worry”. It was also the era of a writer's work, on rewilding, on how the authors transformed the Knepp Estate from a failing farm into a flourishing wildlife haven. “We were deeply influenced by the example, but what could be the function for youth?” says Molly. “So we developed a website and rang up many of conservation groups and were saying, ‘Do you sometimes get your estate holders wishing to make changes and you are short on resources?’”
Durant adds the narrative: “Our whole organisation was fundamentally founded on the belief that there were individuals who were ready to permit a group of youthful enthusiasts on to their land without strict rules, to make significant decisions that would change land value
