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That richly complex song of the songbird is a scarce sound in the UK today, but it's different at this rural location. Back in 2020, a solitary bird could be noticed at this hidden place in rural Surrey; this summer, they were in multiple locations. “We were listening to them calling all night, from several zones,” explains one ecologist, chief environmental expert for the youth rewilding group. A group of volunteers were residing temporarily at the property, yet the nightingales were so loud, “we were unable to rest all night,” comments a project coordinator. “We were all worn out the next day, but it was so cool.” An specialist from the local conservation group came to help them trap and mark one of the nightingales the next morning, she recalls: “He’d never handled a songbird in his possession before. He was teary.”

Rewilding Progresses at Maple Farm

Rewilding is by definition a slow business, but here at Maple Farm, after merely several seasons, the changes are already evident, and audible. The property was once a haven for horses. Today it’s a example for the Youngwilders’ mission: to accelerate ecological restoration, in one of the ecologically impoverished regions in the planet, and to connect the younger generation (18-30-year-olds) with a environment they are often excluded from, and a climate crisis they are often unable to halt. Global heating advances, deforestation eliminates wildlife homes, and one more climate conference draws to a disappointing outcome in the host country – so what person could blame youth for wishing to initiate change themselves?

The project was premised on the idea that there were landowners willing to allow a bunch of young amateurs on to their land

“The newer cohort is the most knowledgeable in terms of nature that there’s previously,” says the group's leader, one organizer. They are also “the highly invested in the problems, and have played the smallest part to their creation, and, then, are also going to suffer the worst as a result.”

Revitalization of the Landscape

Now, the initiative is expanding across the UK – and Maple Farm planted the seed, in all respects. “It’s our origin point, and where we built our network,” notes a founding member, as she provides a tour of the expansive site. “This used to be divided plots,” she states, as we walk through tall vegetation featuring low scrub, bordered by established trees. “The primary noticeable change is that we’ve removed all the barriers, over a kilometer of it, to make it feel like one landscape.” In the summer, they used protective gear and removed masses of invasive plants, an aggressive flora that can irritate the skin. “We’ve planted numerous of natural barriers,” notes Easton. “But the main thing is we’ve just let it breathe for a short time. We’ve reduced a significant amount of grazing pressure and noticed what’s sprung up.”

Bushes and hedgerows are a perfect songbird habitat, she comments, although now they’re trimming some of the wild growth to develop a increased variety of habitats and to connect two parts of the land. New trees will take much more time to establish, but saplings from the nearby oaks are already establishing themselves in the open areas; the crew have been placing guards to protect them from grazing deer.

Animals Returns in Large Numbers

In addition to the songbirds – animals is returning in abundance. This year they’ve observed reptiles, legless lizards, flyers and invertebrates, explains a team member, as he raises one of their survey equipment (such as a mat over a indentation in the soil). “You discover reptiles and animals sheltering under there, but it’s possibly a bit cool for them now.” Natural beehives, built using carved parts of wood and humming with wild bees, are fixed to some of the trees. The lack of grazing horses has provided small creatures room to flourish in the meadows. When they visited this summer, states he, “I’d never seen so many lepidoptera. There were just swarms of them. We were like, ‘What is happening?’”

Beginnings of the Initiative

The first founders – Bennett, Jack, Easton and additional members – formed as learners, focusing on or sharing an passion in nature. In 2019, the IPCC was forecasting that the target of one and a half degrees of climate change was appearing out of reach, a prominent figure was leading the demonstrations for eco-awareness, and campaigner another voice was discussing youth feeling “eco-worry”. It was also the time of the author's book, about nature recovery, on how they changed the Knepp Estate from a failing farm into a thriving ecosystem. “We were deeply influenced by the case study, but what was the part for youth?” questions Molly. “So we created a online presence and rang up many of environmental organizations and were saying, ‘Do you sometimes get your property owners seeking to take action and you don’t have time?’”

Jack continues the story: “Our complete project was fundamentally premised on the notion that there were individuals who were ready to allow a collection of youthful enthusiasts on to their land freely, to decide on fairly massive choices that would affect land value