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The manically melodic melody of the songbird is a rare occurrence in the UK these days, but not at this rural location. Previously, a single nightingale could be noticed at this secluded place in the countryside of Surrey; lately, they were everywhere. “We were listening to them singing all night, from multiple areas,” explains Meg Cookson, chief environmental expert for the Youngwilders. A group of Youngwilders were camping out at the site, however the birds were so boisterous, “we were unable to rest all night,” comments a project coordinator. “We were all knackered the next day, but it was so amazing.” An professional from the local conservation group came to help them trap and mark one of the songbirds the next morning, she recalls: “He’d never held a songbird in his care before. He was emotional.”

Ecological Restoration Progresses at This Location

Rewilding is by definition a gradual process, but here at this property, after only several seasons, the changes are already visible, and audible. The land previously served as a sanctuary for animals. Now it’s a model for the Youngwilders’ mission: to hasten nature recovery, in one of the biodiversity-poor regions in the world, and to engage youth (18-30-year-olds) with a natural world they are often excluded from, and a environmental emergency they are often powerless to prevent. Rising temperatures persists, deforestation destroys wildlife homes, and one more international meeting draws to a unsatisfactory conclusion in Brazil – so who could fault young people for choosing to initiate change themselves?

Our initiative was based on the notion that there were individuals ready to allow a group of youthful enthusiasts on to their property

“The newer cohort is the most knowledgeable in terms of nature that there’s ever been,” states the group's leader, one organizer. They are also “the most emotionally involved in the issues, and have added the smallest part to their origin, and, then, are also going to be affected the greatest as a result.”

Revitalization of the Site

Currently, the initiative is taking root across the Britain – and Maple Farm planted the seed, in multiple ways. “It’s our origin point, and the place we established our connections,” says another co-director, as she offers a walkthrough of the 12-hectare site. “This once consisted of six different fields,” she comments, as we move through long grass filled with shrubs, bordered by mature woodland. “The main visual difference is that we’ve removed all the barriers, a significant length of it, to give the sense like a unified area.” In the summer, they donned hazmat suits and eradicated large amounts of invasive plants, an non-native plant that can irritate the skin. “We’ve planted loads of natural barriers,” explains Easton. “But the primary focus is we’ve just let it breathe for a brief period. We’ve removed a large part of animal feeding and seen what’s sprung up.”

Low scrub and shrub lines are a perfect songbird environment, she says, although today they’re managing some of the wild growth to create a increased range of ecosystems and to connect two parts of the site. Young saplings will take a while to take root, but saplings from the surrounding woodland are already taking root in the fields; the group have been setting up protectors to shield them from wildlife.

Nature Reappears in Droves

There's more than the nightingales – animals is returning in large numbers. This year they’ve spotted grass snakes, slowworms, bats and insects, notes another co-director, as he uncovers one of their reptile mats (like a mat over a depression in the ground). “You get reptiles and wildlife hiding under there, but it’s possibly a bit cool for them now.” Organic nests, constructed from hollowed-out parts of timber and active with insects, are fixed to some of the trees. The removal of animals has given insects room to prosper in the long grass. When they visited this time, says the director, “I’d never observed so countless insects. There were just swarms of them. We were wondering, ‘What is happening?’”

Origins of the Project

The initial Youngwilders – Noah, Jack, Molly and additional members – came together as youth, pursuing or expressing an passion in environmental science. In 2019, the IPCC was forecasting that the target of 1.5C of global heating was looking impossible, a prominent figure was spearheading the youth protests for environmental action, and advocate another voice was discussing the generation feeling “climate anxiety”. It was also the time of Isabella Tree’s publication, on rewilding, on how the authors revitalized the Knepp Estate from a unsuccessful farm into a successful natural habitat. “We were deeply influenced by the example, but what could be the function for the next generation?” questions Easton. “So we created a online presence and rang up many of environmental organizations and were like, ‘Do you ever get your landowners wanting to make changes and you lack capacity?’”

Durant continues the narrative: “Our whole initiative was basically premised on the belief that there were people who were prepared to allow a bunch of youthful enthusiasts on to their property indiscriminately, to make major choices that would affect land value