The Simple Way To Rewild Britain

Summary

The video explores the immense value of hedgerows and wildlife corridors in the UK for connecting fragmented habitats and enabling the movement and flourishing of wildlife. It traces the drastic loss of hedgerows over recent decades and the efforts now underway to replant them at scale, led by groups like the Big Green Internet and Young Wilders who are engaging landowners and youth. The planting of even small hedgerows can have an outsized impact by linking isolated woodlands into a nationwide network. The video conveys a sense of hope and urgency around scaling up these nature restoration efforts across Britain by spotlighting the pioneering work being done.

Takeaways

• 😮 There are an astonishing amount of hedgerows in the UK - if laid end to end, they would wrap around the world 10 times
• 🌿 Hedges provide connectivity and corridors for wildlife to move through fragmented landscapes
• 🦋 Hedges are fantastic habitats, especially compared to empty agricultural fields - they support birds, insects and more
• 😢 Between 1950-2007, the UK lost over half its hedgerows due to incentives to maximize food production
• 👨‍🔬 Young Wilders organization aims to accelerate nature recovery and engage youth in the process
• 🌳 Hedges make nature recovery easy to implement at scale - farmers love them too
• 🔌 'Big Green Internet' vision is to connect isolated woodland patches into interconnected wildlife corridors
• 🚜 There are likely unused field corners in the UK that could easily be transformed into wildlife habitat
• 🤝 Successful, widespread nature recovery will require collaboration of organizations and youth engagement
• 🌱 There is hope - we lost huge amounts of hedgerows quickly, we can also bring them back through coordinated effort

Q & A

How many hedgerows are estimated to exist in the UK currently?

As of 2007, there were estimated to be 477,000 km of hedgerows in the UK, less than half of what existed in 1950.

What are some of the benefits of hedgerows?

Hedgerows provide habitat and connectivity for wildlife to move through agricultural landscapes. They are fantastic for birds, insects, and other small animals.

Why have so many hedgerows been lost in the UK over the past century?

Many hedgerows were removed between 1950-2007 because landowners were incentivized to do so in order to increase agricultural production and food availability.

What is the goal of the organization Young Wilders?

Young Wilders aims to accelerate nature recovery in the UK and get young people involved in the process.

How do wildlife corridors help connect habitats?

Wildlife corridors create connected pathways of vegetation for animals to safely move between isolated habitat patches.

What are the four layers of vegetation in Mike's wildlife corridor concept?

Mike's wildlife corridor concept consists of mown grass, rough grass, shrubs, and trees - creating multiple microhabitats within a 10m wide corridor.

Why does the narrator say hedge planting can seem boring at first?

Compared to bolder rewilding efforts like species reintroductions, hedge planting can seem mundane at first glance, even though it is hugely impactful.

How could hedge and wildlife corridor restoration be scaled up across the UK?

The Big Green Internet has created an effective model in Essex, which could be rolled out nationwide with increased funding and public engagement over time.

Why is engaging young people important for the rewilding movement?

Getting young people involved with hands-on rewilding creates enthusiasm and lays the groundwork for continuing progress in the future.

What argument does the video make for why habitat connectivity is important in the UK?

The UK landscape has become highly fragmented, with many woodlands isolated. Connecting these habitats allows wildlife to move safely through the landscape.