That richly complex melody of the songbird is a uncommon sound in Britain nowadays, yet not at this rural location. Four years ago, a lone bird could be heard at this hidden location in rural Surrey; recently, they were in multiple locations. “We were hearing them calling all night, from five different territories,” explains a lead scientist, chief environmental expert for the youth rewilding group. A group of Youngwilders were residing temporarily at the site, but the nightingales were so boisterous, “we couldn’t sleep all night,” says an engagement lead. “We were all knackered the next day, but it was so cool.” An professional from the Surrey Wildlife Trust came to help them trap and mark one of the birds the next morning, Cookson states: “He’d never touched a songbird in his possession before. He was crying.”
Ecological Restoration Progresses at the Surrey Site
Ecological restoration is by definition a lengthy process, but in this place at this property, after just a short period, the changes are already evident, and audible. The farm was once a sanctuary for horses. Now it’s a showpiece for the Youngwilders’ goal: to hasten nature recovery, in one of the biodiversity-poor regions in the globe, and to link youth (18-30-year-olds) with a ecosystem they are often denied access to, and a global warming issue they are often powerless to stop. Climate change continues, tree clearing damages natural habitats, and yet another international meeting draws to a frustrating conclusion in abroad – so who could fault young people for wishing to take matters into their own hands?
Our project was based on the notion that there were people willing to let a collection of young amateurs on to their estate
“The younger generation is the best educated in terms of nature that there’s previously,” explains the group's co-director, a key figure. They are also “the highly invested in the problems, and have played the minimal role to their causing, and, then, are also going to suffer most as a consequence.”
Revitalization of the Landscape
Currently, the initiative is expanding across the UK – and the original site planted the seed, in every sense. “It’s our origin point, and where we created our connections,” notes another co-director, as she offers a overview of the 30-acre site. “This used to be six different fields,” she comments, as we stroll through tall vegetation filled with shrubs, bordered by established trees. “The main visual change is that we’ve taken out all the barriers, a significant length of it, to make it feel like a single area.” In the warmer months, they used protective gear and removed significant quantities of harmful weeds, an invasive species that can harm the flesh. “We’ve planted loads of bush lines,” explains the director. “But the primary focus is we’ve just given it space for a little bit. We’ve eliminated a lot of grazing pressure and seen what’s emerged.”
Bushes and hedgerows are a perfect nightingale environment, she says, however now they’re trimming some of the wild growth to create a more variety of environments and to link up different sections of the site. New trees will take considerably longer to grow, but young trees from the adjacent oaks are already growing in the open areas; the crew have been installing protectors to shield them from wildlife.
Wildlife Reappears in Abundance
There's more than the songbirds – wildlife is coming back in large numbers. Lately they’ve observed reptiles, legless lizards, flyers and invertebrates, says a team member, as he lifts up one of their reptile mats (such as a cover over a small hollow in the earth). “You get creatures and animals hiding under there, but it’s possibly a slightly cold for them now.” Natural nests, constructed from empty parts of timber and humming with wild bees, are fixed to some of the trees. The absence of livestock has allowed invertebrates opportunity to thrive in the overgrown areas. When they came to this time, states Bennett, “I’d never seen so numerous insects. There were just masses of them. We were wondering, ‘What is going on?’”
Origins of the Project
The initial founders – Bennett, Durant, Molly and two others – united as youth, studying or sharing an interest in environmental science. In 2019, the climate experts was predicting that the target of 1.5C of climate change was seeming unachievable, a prominent figure was guiding the youth protests for eco-awareness, and advocate Clover Hogan was talking about youth suffering from “environmental stress”. It was also the period of Isabella Tree’s book, on rewilding, on how the authors changed the Knepp Estate from a failing dairy farm into a successful ecosystem. “We were highly motivated by the example, but what was the function for the next generation?” says Easton. “So we created a online presence and contacted many of wildlife trusts and were saying, ‘Do you sometimes get your property owners wanting to take action and you are short on time?’”
Durant explains the narrative: “Our whole organisation was fundamentally based on the belief that there were people who were ready to allow a group of young enthusiasts on to their estate freely, to make fairly massive decisions that would impact land value
