The manically melodic call of the songbird is a rare presence in the UK today, however not at Maple Farm. Four years ago, a single bird could be heard at this hidden place in the countryside of Surrey; recently, they were in multiple locations. “We were hearing them singing all night, from several zones,” explains one ecologist, chief environmental expert for the Youngwilders. A band of participants were residing temporarily at the site, however the birds were so loud, “we stayed awake all night,” remarks a project coordinator. “We were all knackered the next day, but it was so incredible.” An expert from the regional nature organization came to help them trap and mark one of the nightingales the next morning, she recalls: “He’d never handled a songbird in his hands before. He was crying.”
Ecological Restoration Progresses at This Location
Rewilding is by its very essence a lengthy process, but at this site at the farm, after merely a short period, the results are already visible, and audible. The land previously served as a haven for animals. Today it’s a model for the youth-led purpose: to accelerate nature recovery, in one of the most nature-depleted regions in the world, and to engage the younger generation (18-30-year-olds) with a natural world they are often shut out of, and a climate crisis they are often unable to prevent. Climate change advances, habitat loss destroys ecosystems, and one more international meeting draws to a frustrating conclusion in Brazil – so who could blame youth for choosing to act independently?
Our project was based on the notion that there were individuals willing to allow a group of youthful enthusiasts on to their property
“The younger generation is the most informed in terms of nature that there’s historically,” states the Youngwilders’ leader, a key figure. They are also “the most emotionally involved in the problems, and have added the least to their creation, and, then, are also going to experience consequences the worst as a result.”
Change of the Landscape
Now, the group is expanding across the UK – and Maple Farm was the beginning, in every sense. “It’s where we started, and the place we built our community,” notes another co-director, as she provides a tour of the expansive site. “This once consisted of six different fields,” she says, as we move through long grass dotted with low scrub, hemmed by established trees. “The primary visual change is that we’ve taken out all the fencing, a significant length of it, to make it feel like a single landscape.” In the summer, they wore special clothing and removed significant quantities of harmful weeds, an invasive species that can harm the body. “We’ve introduced loads of bush lines,” notes Easton. “But the main thing is we’ve just let it breathe for a brief period. We’ve eliminated a significant amount of animal feeding and noticed what’s sprung up.”
Low scrub and hedgerows are a perfect nightingale environment, she explains, however today they’re managing some of the wild growth to create a greater diversity of ecosystems and to join different sections of the property. Young saplings will take a while to grow, but saplings from the nearby oaks are already growing in the meadows; the group have been installing guards to protect them from wildlife.
Nature Reappears in Large Numbers
In addition to the nightingales – animals is reappearing in abundance. Recently they’ve observed reptiles, creatures, bats and insects, says another co-director, as he raises one of their monitoring tools (similar to a doormat over a indentation in the earth). “You discover creatures and animals residing under there, but it’s probably a slightly cool for them now.” Organic homes, built using carved sections of timber and buzzing with wild bees, are fixed to some of the plants. The lack of animals has allowed insects space to prosper in the overgrown areas. When they came to this summer, comments he, “I’d not once encountered so countless insects. There were just swarms of them. We were like, ‘What is going on?’”
Inception of the Initiative
The initial Youngwilders – Noah, Durant, Molly and more individuals – formed as youth, studying or having an passion in nature. In that year, the IPCC was predicting that the target of 1.5C of climate change was looking unachievable, Greta Thunberg was guiding the youth protests for climate movement, and campaigner a speaker was discussing youth experiencing “climate anxiety”. It was also the time of the author's work, on rewilding, on how the authors revitalized the Knepp Estate from a unsuccessful agricultural business into a flourishing natural habitat. “We were deeply influenced by the Knepp story, but what could be the part for young people?” asks Easton. “So we developed a website and called loads of conservation groups and were asking, ‘Do you occasionally get your estate holders wanting to do something and you are short on resources?’”
Jack adds the narrative: “Our entire initiative was fundamentally premised on the belief that there were landowners who were ready to permit a bunch of youthful idiots on to their land without strict rules, to take significant actions that would change land value
