The beautifully intricate melody of the nightingale is a rare sound in Britain these days, however not at this rural location. Previously, a single bird could be heard at this secluded spot in the countryside of Surrey; this summer, they were in multiple locations. “We were hearing them singing all night, from multiple areas,” says a lead scientist, lead ecologist for the eco-activist organization. A group of participants were camping out at the property, however the nightingales were so boisterous, “we couldn’t sleep all night,” comments a project coordinator. “We were all knackered the next day, but it was so amazing.” An expert from the Surrey Wildlife Trust came to help them capture and tag one of the nightingales the next morning, she recalls: “He’d never touched a songbird in his hands before. He was crying.”
Rewilding Progresses at Maple Farm
Nature recovery is by definition a lengthy process, but in this place at this property, after merely a short period, the results are already visible, and noticeable. The property was once a sanctuary for animals. Now it’s a model for the youth-led mission: to hasten habitat revival, in one of the ecologically impoverished nations in the planet, and to link youth (18-30-year-olds) with a ecosystem they are often denied access to, and a climate crisis they are often powerless to halt. Climate change continues, tree clearing eliminates ecosystems, and another climate conference comes to a disappointing end in abroad – so who could fault the younger generation for wanting to initiate change themselves?
Our organisation was premised on the belief that there were landowners prepared to allow a bunch of youthful enthusiasts on to their property
“The younger generation is the best educated ecologically that there’s historically,” explains the Youngwilders’ leader, one organizer. They are also “the deeply concerned in the issues, and have played the least to their creation, and, then, are also going to be affected the greatest as a consequence.”
Change of the Property
Now, the organisation is growing across the UK – and this location planted the seed, in all respects. “It’s where we started, and the place we built our network,” notes a founding member, as she offers a tour of the 30-acre land. “This once consisted of multiple separate areas,” she says, as we stroll through overgrown meadows filled with bushes, hemmed by forest. “The main visual difference is that we’ve taken out all the fencing, 1.2km of it, to create the impression like one area.” In the recent season, they donned special clothing and removed large amounts of giant hogweed, an non-native plant that can harm the flesh. “We’ve introduced loads of natural barriers,” notes the director. “But the key action is we’ve just given it space for a short time. We’ve reduced a large part of animal feeding and seen what’s sprung up.”
Bushes and hedgerows are a excellent nightingale home, she says, although now they’re cutting back some of the thorny plants to establish a greater range of habitats and to join different sections of the site. Young saplings will take a while to establish, but saplings from the surrounding oaks are already taking root in the fields; the team have been installing guards to protect them from wildlife.
Nature Comes Back in Large Numbers
There's more than the nightingales – fauna is reappearing in large numbers. This year they’ve observed reptiles, creatures, bats and bugs, says a team member, as he uncovers one of their monitoring tools (similar to a cover over a indentation in the soil). “You get reptiles and wildlife hiding under there, but it’s possibly a slightly chilly for them now.” Organic beehives, constructed from hollowed-out parts of wood and buzzing with pollinators, are attached to some of the woodland. The absence of animals has allowed insects space to thrive in the long grass. When they came to this summer, says Bennett, “I’d not once observed so many insects. There were just clouds of them. We were wondering, ‘What is going on?’”
Origins of the Project
The original Youngwilders – Noah, Jack, Easton and more individuals – came together as students, focusing on or sharing an concern in nature. In the recent past, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change was indicating that the safe limit of one and a half degrees of global heating was looking unachievable, Greta Thunberg was spearheading the demonstrations for eco-awareness, and campaigner another voice was talking about youth suffering from “environmental stress”. It was also the era of the author's publication, on rewilding, on how the authors transformed the a nearby property from a struggling dairy farm into a flourishing ecosystem. “We were deeply influenced by the Knepp story, but what was the part for young people?” asks Easton. “So we made a platform and called loads of environmental organizations and were asking, ‘Do you occasionally get your property owners wanting to take action and you lack resources?’”
Durant continues the story: “Our complete project was essentially based on the belief that there were individuals who were willing to allow a bunch of youthful amateurs on to their land without strict rules, to decide on significant decisions that would impact land value
