The manically melodic melody of the songbird is a scarce presence in the UK nowadays, however it's different at this rural location. Previously, a solitary bird could be noticed at this hidden place in rural Surrey; lately, they were all around. “We were hearing them singing all night, from five different territories,” notes Meg Cookson, lead ecologist for the youth rewilding group. A band of Youngwilders were staying overnight at the site, but the nightingales were so noisy, “we couldn’t sleep all night,” says an engagement lead. “We were all worn out the next day, but it was so cool.” An expert from the local conservation group came to help them trap and mark one of the songbirds the next morning, the ecologist recalls: “He’d never held a nightingale in his possession before. He was teary.”
Rewilding Accelerates at This Location
Rewilding is by its very essence a slow process, but at this site at the farm, after merely a short period, the outcomes are already evident, and audible. The property used to be a haven for animals. Today it’s a model for the youth-led purpose: to accelerate habitat revival, in one of the most nature-depleted nations in the world, 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 unable to prevent. Climate change continues, deforestation destroys wildlife homes, and one more international meeting ends with a unsatisfactory conclusion in Brazil – so who could fault youth for wishing to take matters into their own hands?
Our organisation was founded on the idea that there were landowners willing to let a group of young idiots on to their land
“The newer cohort is the most informed ecologically that there’s ever been,” says the group's co-director, a key figure. They are also “the most emotionally involved in the challenges, and have added the smallest part to their origin, and, then, are also going to experience consequences the greatest as a consequence.”
Change of the Landscape
Today, the initiative is expanding across the United Kingdom – and this location planted the seed, in every sense. “It’s where we started, and where we established our network,” explains a founding member, as she offers a tour of the 30-acre property. “This was previously divided plots,” she says, as we stroll through long grass featuring bushes, surrounded by forest. “The primary visible difference is that we’ve taken out all the enclosures, over a kilometer of it, to create the impression like a single landscape.” In the summer, they wore special clothing and eradicated masses of invasive plants, an non-native plant that can harm the skin. “We’ve introduced loads of hedgerows,” notes Easton. “But the primary focus is we’ve just given it space for a short time. We’ve reduced a significant amount of livestock impact and observed what’s sprung up.”
Low scrub and hedgerows are a excellent songbird habitat, she explains, however currently they’re cutting back some of the thorny plants to develop a greater diversity of environments and to connect two parts of the site. New trees will take much more time to establish, but new growth from the adjacent trees are already growing in the open areas; the team have been setting up barriers to protect them from wildlife.
Nature Comes Back in Large Numbers
In addition to the songbirds – fauna is coming back in abundance. Recently they’ve observed reptiles, slowworms, bats and insects, notes a team member, as he lifts up one of their monitoring tools (similar to a mat over a small hollow in the soil). “You find reptiles and wildlife hiding under there, but it’s likely a slightly cool for them now.” Organic homes, constructed from hollowed-out sections of tree trunk and buzzing with insects, are strapped to some of the plants. The removal of animals has given invertebrates room to thrive in the overgrown areas. When they explored this summer, comments the director, “I’d not ever encountered so countless butterflies. There were just clouds of them. We were wondering, ‘What is happening?’”
Origins of the Movement
The initial founders – Bennett, Jack, Easton and more individuals – united as youth, pursuing or having an interest in ecology. In 2019, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change was predicting that the safe limit of 1.5C of warming was appearing unachievable, the activist was spearheading the school strikes for eco-awareness, and advocate another voice was talking about youth experiencing “eco-worry”. It was also the time of a writer's book, on rewilding, on how she and her husband transformed the Knepp Estate from a struggling agricultural business into a successful wildlife haven. “We were deeply influenced by the example, but what was the part for young people?” questions Easton. “So we made a platform and rang up many of environmental organizations and were like, ‘Do you occasionally get your estate holders wanting to take action and you are short on resources?’”
Jack explains the narrative: “Our entire organisation was essentially founded on the belief that there were people who were prepared to let a group of youthful enthusiasts on to their property freely, to decide on fairly massive choices that would impact land value
