That richly complex song of the songbird is a uncommon presence in England these days, but not at this rural location. Four years ago, a solitary bird could be heard at this hidden location in rural Surrey; this summer, they were in multiple locations. “We were hearing them calling all night, from several zones,” notes a lead scientist, chief environmental expert for the Youngwilders. A team of Youngwilders were staying overnight at the location, yet the birds were so noisy, “we stayed awake all night,” remarks an engagement lead. “We were all worn out the next day, but it was so incredible.” An specialist from the regional nature organization came to help them trap and mark one of the birds the next morning, Cookson states: “He’d never held a songbird in his care before. He was emotional.”
Rewilding Speeds Up at the Surrey Site
Nature recovery is by definition a lengthy endeavor, but at this site at the farm, after just four years, the changes are already visible, and hearable. The farm used to be a haven for horses. Now it’s a model for the Youngwilders’ goal: to accelerate habitat revival, in one of the ecologically impoverished regions in the globe, and to link the younger generation (18-30-year-olds) with a ecosystem they are often denied access to, and a climate crisis they are often powerless to prevent. Rising temperatures continues, deforestation damages wildlife homes, and one more Cop summit ends with a disappointing outcome in Brazil – so what person could blame youth for wishing to take matters into their own hands?
Our organisation was based on the idea that there were landowners willing to allow a group of youthful idiots on to their land
“The youth is the most informed environmentally that there’s ever been,” explains the group's founder, a key figure. They are also “the deeply concerned in the issues, and have added the least to their causing, and, then, are also going to suffer the greatest as a result.”
Revitalization of the Landscape
Now, the initiative is expanding across the Britain – and Maple Farm planted the seed, in every sense. “It’s our origin point, and where we established our connections,” explains Molly Easton, as she offers a walkthrough of the expansive property. “This used to be six different fields,” she states, as we stroll through tall vegetation featuring low scrub, hemmed by mature woodland. “The key visible transformation is that we’ve eliminated all the barriers, 1.2km of it, to make it feel like one landscape.” In the recent season, they donned protective gear and cleared large amounts of giant hogweed, an aggressive flora that can burn the skin. “We’ve established loads of hedgerows,” says the director. “But the key action is we’ve just given it space for a little bit. We’ve reduced a significant amount of animal feeding and noticed what’s come up.”
Low scrub and natural fences are a ideal nightingale home, she says, however currently they’re managing some of the thorny plants to establish a more variety of habitats and to link up different sections of the site. New trees will take a while to grow, but new growth from the adjacent trees are already taking root in the meadows; the crew have been placing barriers to protect them from animals.
Wildlife Comes Back in Abundance
In addition to the nightingales – wildlife is coming back in droves. Lately they’ve spotted serpents, legless lizards, nocturnal mammals and bugs, notes another co-director, as he lifts up one of their reptile mats (like a mat over a depression in the soil). “You discover snakes and animals sheltering under there, but it’s possibly a somewhat chilly for them now.” Natural nests, built using carved sections of wood and buzzing with wild bees, are fixed to some of the trees. The removal of grazing horses has allowed insects opportunity to thrive in the long grass. When they visited this summer, comments the director, “I’d not once seen so many insects. There were just swarms of them. We were wondering, ‘What is happening?’”
Inception of the Movement
The initial founders – Bennett, Durant, Easton and two others – formed as students, pursuing or having an interest in ecology. In 2019, the IPCC was predicting that the safe limit of one and a half degrees of climate change was seeming unachievable, a prominent figure was guiding the school strikes for environmental action, and campaigner another voice was discussing youth suffering from “climate anxiety”. It was also the time of Isabella Tree’s work, about nature recovery, on how they transformed the Knepp Estate from a struggling agricultural business into a successful wildlife haven. “We were highly motivated by the Knepp story, but what was the function for youth?” questions Molly. “So we developed a website and contacted loads of environmental organizations and were saying, ‘Do you occasionally get your property owners wanting to take action and you lack resources?’”
Jack adds the account: “Our whole initiative was essentially based on the belief that there were individuals who were willing to allow a bunch of youthful enthusiasts on to their land without strict rules, to make major choices that would affect land value
