The manically melodic melody of the nightingale is a scarce sound in the UK nowadays, however not at Maple Farm. Previously, a lone bird could be heard at this hidden spot in the countryside of Surrey; this summer, they were everywhere. “We were listening to them singing all night, from five different territories,” explains Meg Cookson, lead ecologist for the youth rewilding group. A band of volunteers were camping out at the property, however the birds were so noisy, “we were unable to rest all night,” remarks an engagement lead. “We were all worn out 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 birds the next morning, Cookson recalls: “He’d never handled a songbird in his hands before. He was emotional.”
Rewilding Accelerates at the Surrey Site
Ecological restoration is by its very essence a lengthy endeavor, but here at Maple Farm, after only a short period, the changes are already evident, and audible. The farm used to be a sanctuary for equines. Currently it’s a model for the youth-led goal: to accelerate ecological restoration, in one of the biodiversity-poor regions in the planet, and to engage young people (18-30-year-olds) with a environment they are often shut out of, and a climate crisis they are often ineffectual to prevent. Climate change persists, tree clearing eliminates ecosystems, and another climate conference draws to a disappointing conclusion in the host country – so who could fault youth for choosing to act independently?
The initiative was premised on the belief that there were individuals willing to permit a collection of young idiots on to their estate
“The youth is the most informed environmentally that there’s previously,” states the group's co-director, Jack Durant. They are also “the deeply concerned in the issues, and have played the least to their causing, and, then, are also going to suffer the worst as a consequence.”
Transformation of the Site
Now, the group is taking root across the Britain – and Maple Farm planted the seed, in every sense. “It’s where we started, and the place we created our community,” notes another co-director, as she gives a walkthrough of the expansive property. “This once consisted of divided plots,” she states, as we stroll through long grass filled with low scrub, surrounded by forest. “The main visual change is that we’ve removed all the enclosures, 1.2km of it, to create the impression like a single area.” In the summer, they wore special clothing and removed large amounts of harmful weeds, an invasive species that can irritate the body. “We’ve introduced loads of hedgerows,” notes she. “But the key action is we’ve just allowed it to rest for a little bit. We’ve removed a significant amount of grazing pressure and seen what’s emerged.”
Bushes and hedgerows are a perfect nightingale habitat, she explains, but currently they’re managing some of the wild growth to create a greater variety of ecosystems and to link up separate areas of the land. Young saplings will take a while to take root, but saplings from the adjacent oaks are already taking root in the meadows; the team have been placing barriers to protect them from wildlife.
Animals Returns in Abundance
It’s not just the nightingales – wildlife is reappearing in abundance. Recently they’ve seen reptiles, creatures, nocturnal mammals and invertebrates, says a team member, as he raises one of their survey equipment (such as a cover over a indentation in the ground). “You find reptiles and things sheltering under there, but it’s possibly a bit chilly for them now.” Organic beehives, constructed from carved sections of tree trunk and buzzing with wild bees, are attached to some of the trees. The absence of livestock has allowed invertebrates opportunity to flourish in the long grass. When they came to this time, says Bennett, “I’d not ever seen so many lepidoptera. There were just masses of them. We were like, ‘What is happening?’”
Beginnings of the Project
The initial Youngwilders – Bennett, Jack, Molly and more individuals – came together as learners, pursuing or having an interest in environmental science. In that year, the IPCC was indicating that the safe limit of 1.5C of global heating was appearing unachievable, the activist was spearheading the youth protests for climate movement, and activist a speaker was talking about young people suffering from “eco-worry”. It was also the era of Isabella Tree’s work, about nature recovery, on how the authors changed the Knepp Estate from a failing farm into a thriving ecosystem. “We were super-inspired by the Knepp story, but what was the function for young people?” questions Easton. “So we made a platform and contacted many of wildlife trusts and were asking, ‘Do you ever get your property owners wanting to do something and you are short on time?’”
Durant continues the story: “Our whole initiative was essentially premised on the notion that there were landowners who were willing to let a bunch of youthful idiots on to their land freely, to make fairly massive choices that would change land value
