The richly complex call of the nightingale is a rare occurrence in the UK today, but it's different at this rural location. Previously, a solitary nightingale could be detected at this secluded spot in the countryside of Surrey; recently, they were in multiple locations. “We were hearing them chirping all night, from multiple areas,” notes a lead scientist, lead ecologist for the youth rewilding group. A team of participants were staying overnight at the location, but the birds were so loud, “we were unable to rest all night,” says an engagement lead. “We were all worn out the next day, but it was so incredible.” An professional from the regional nature organization came to help them trap and mark one of the nightingales the next morning, the ecologist recalls: “He’d never held a nightingale in his possession before. He was crying.”
Ecological Restoration Accelerates at the Surrey Site
Rewilding is by definition a slow business, but at this site at Maple Farm, after just four years, the changes are already visible, and noticeable. The land previously served as a retirement home for equines. Now it’s a example for the Youngwilders’ purpose: to hasten nature recovery, in one of the biodiversity-poor countries in the world, and to link the younger generation (18-30-year-olds) with a natural world they are often shut out of, and a environmental emergency they are often powerless to stop. Rising temperatures advances, habitat loss eliminates natural habitats, and yet another international meeting comes to a frustrating conclusion in Brazil – so what person could fault the younger generation for choosing to initiate change themselves?
Our project was premised on the belief that there were individuals prepared to let a group of youthful enthusiasts on to their land
“The youth is the best educated environmentally that there’s previously,” states the group's leader, one organizer. They are also “the most emotionally involved in the issues, and have contributed the smallest part to their causing, and, then, are also going to suffer most as a result.”
Revitalization of the Property
Currently, the group is expanding across the United Kingdom – and this location started it all, in all respects. “It’s our origin point, and the place we created our network,” says another co-director, as she offers a tour of the expansive land. “This used to be six different fields,” she says, as we walk through overgrown meadows dotted with shrubs, hemmed by forest. “The main visible difference is that we’ve removed all the fencing, 1.2km of it, to make it feel like one area.” In the recent season, they donned hazmat suits and removed significant quantities of invasive plants, an aggressive flora that can irritate the body. “We’ve planted loads of natural barriers,” explains Easton. “But the main thing is we’ve just let it breathe for a brief period. We’ve reduced a significant amount of animal feeding and seen what’s come up.”
Bushes and natural fences are a excellent songbird environment, she explains, but now they’re cutting back some of the wild growth to establish a more diversity of habitats and to connect different sections of the property. Fresh plantings will take a while to grow, but saplings from the adjacent oaks are already establishing themselves in the fields; the team have been installing protectors to protect them from wildlife.
Nature Returns in Abundance
It’s not just the songbirds – wildlife is reappearing in abundance. Lately they’ve observed reptiles, legless lizards, nocturnal mammals and bugs, says Noah Bennett, as he lifts up one of their monitoring tools (such as a cover over a small hollow in the ground). “You find reptiles and wildlife hiding under there, but it’s likely a slightly chilly for them now.” Organic nests, built using empty sections of timber and humming with wild bees, are fixed to some of the trees. The lack of livestock has given invertebrates opportunity to flourish in the overgrown areas. When they explored this summer, comments he, “I’d not ever seen so many insects. There were just clouds of them. We were wondering, ‘What is happening?’”
Origins of the Movement
The first Youngwilders – Noah, Jack, Easton and two others – united as youth, focusing on or expressing an interest in nature. In the recent past, the climate experts was indicating that the safe limit of 1.5C of climate change was appearing out of reach, Greta Thunberg was guiding the demonstrations for environmental action, and activist Clover Hogan was talking about young people feeling “eco-worry”. It was also the era of Isabella Tree’s book, Wilding, on how the authors revitalized the a Sussex location from a failing dairy farm into a thriving natural habitat. “We were super-inspired by the example, but what was the role for youth?” asks Molly. “So we made a platform and contacted many of environmental organizations and were like, ‘Do you occasionally get your estate holders wishing to make changes and you lack resources?’”
Jack adds the narrative: “Our entire project was fundamentally premised on the notion that there were people who were ready to permit a bunch of young idiots on to their estate without strict rules, to make major decisions that would impact land value
