Revisiting Godney Marshes - Rewilding one year later

[@MattJarvisMedia]

It's incredible that I'm still getting comments and messages which are people vehemently defending meat and dairy. If they'd listen to the video I don't advocate for boycotting these products, more the reduction of them in our diet. Our demand of these products currently is far too high and this can be seen in the stress on the UK landscape. Our country is in the bottom 10% worldwide for biodiversity. You cannot deny the shot at 9:39. You cannot deny the patchwork quilt of barren fields at 8:53, we all know that scene if we've ever flown over the landscape. Places like Knepp which have rewilded the land use grazers and agroforestry techniques, but this is only sustainable if we as people reduce our intake of meat, because we do not have the area of productive land required for our current demand. Secondly, the argument that more vegetables means more monoculture and more land use is false. WWF states "40% of the UK’s most productive agricultural land is used to grow food for farm animals ... an “inherently inefficient” approach to feeding farm animals foods that humans can eat". By reducing the number of animals we eat, we also reduce the amount of land needed for crop, we also hugley reduce the amount of energy wasted through the process. The liklihood is that the people defending eating *large* quantities of meat and dairy are either: 1/ Invested in the business personally, 2/ Enjoy eating meat more than they care about the welfare of the environment, 3/ Are not living in the UK and therefore subject to a different set of priorities or pressures.

[@arkatub]

Dairy farmers force all of us to buy their product even tho we can't use it all, see the US Cheese Cave and the EU Milk Lakes, it is mental.

[@weaksohyeah]

Hear hear! I wanted to subscribe to you BECAUSE you said that - so there! 😋 People have cognitive dissonance and that's fine. I was the same once upon a time lol. But what you said is, obviously, totally right.

[@MattJarvisMedia]

@@weaksohyeah Thank you!

[@timochristus]

Why aren't you advocating for boycotting meat and dairy products? If you want to comment, please consider your last "three case" paragraph and help me understand why this does not apply for any quantity of this unnecessary products. Cheers!

[@MattJarvisMedia]

@@timochristus because boycotting does often not allow for a sustainable transition for those who work in these industries, it puts a huge amount of pressure on people's lives too, people who may not have (or have had) a lot of choice in order to make ends meet. If you choose to boycott these products then fair enough, I personally DO, but advocating for that as a 'one size fits all' answer lacks nuance and comes from a place of privilege. Yes there is also an important ethical argument to consider, and I would strongly support actions to drastically improve welfare in many of these places, but unless done carefully you can push people further away from wanting to understand and change. No. 3 of the 3 point argument also states "Are not living in the UK and therefore subject to a different set of priorities or pressures", meaning husbandry / agriculture is treated very differently in some cultures, and I am (almost) in no place to question their ways of life. Particualrly as a lot of the pressures on those communities stem from a history of explotation and colonialism from countries such as England. If people can and want to go plant-based (like you and I) then great, we need as many as we can atm! But having natural grazing and (very occasional) locally sourced meat is historically closer to what our landscape and behaviour would have looked like.

[@magnuskarlsen4390]

The birds you're both hearing and seeing are goldfinches, they love the thistle seeds you see at the start of the video. Up here in the Nordics the local governments in many places have stopped cutting road edges to allow for birds like these to come back and it's been a resounding success. A great start for any community is to ask their local councils to stop trimming edges and paths unless there's specific safety concerns for not doing so. In our local area whinchats, goldfinches, green finches and many types of warblers have responded brilliantly by just allowing wild flowers to grow instead of neatly trimmed grass.

[@MattJarvisMedia]

Thanks Magnus, there are medium size flocks of them now which is great! Some great action points for people to take too, far too much neatly trimmed grass here in the UK!

[@truthandfreedom9849]

@@MattJarvisMedia I can see canibalism becoming a thing if you take away peoples meat you soy freak. Some of our blood types require meat and fatty lipids to live ........it's our human right to have what our body physically requires to function properly.

[@pauldurkee4764]

​@@MattJarvisMedia There are also greenfinch and linnets mixed in judging by the calls.

[@synappticuser7296]

Fantastic! My hearts leaps with joy when I hear of true rewilding projects. Our earth is the most precious thing to us, and we have to give it all the care that we can. Seeing a wild area recover and thrive, and nature come back to life is a truly joyous thing, which heals our hearts and gives us peace! A big thank you! 🏞️👏😊🤸

[@MattJarvisMedia]

Thank you!

[@thepeopleplaceandnaturepod8344]

This video reminded me of the incredible diversity and resilience of our natural world. 💖

[@davida.3854]

This is some of the best filming, editing, and documentation that I've seen on KZbin. Especially for a fairly small channel. It's beautiful to see wildlife return to agricultural land. I studied the return of biodiversity to young forests in the northeast of the US in graduate school. I advocate for more hands on approaches in accelerating the restoration of agricultural land. However, just leaving aside land for wildlife is still so much better than keeping land in our sterile-feeling lawns or near-monotypic crop fields and pastures. And it's remarkable to see the changes as wildlife returns

[@MattJarvisMedia]

Really appreciate your comment David! I also like how you're aware of the nuance here and that a gradient of grazing is necessary, which includes completely (or near completely) ungrazed habitat. I think people see this issue too often as binary, when in reality truly historic grazing was passive and infrequent, with occasional moments of intensity. Still, the results here speak for themselves and the insect biodiversity in particular is absolutely stunning and so hopeful. What strikes me is that this is just 5 years in, which in reality is a tiny amount of time. Hoepfully more follow!

[@kfl611]

Farmers really should leave a small border around their fields wild. It would not take up that much room in comparison, just a yard or meter boardering their fields would make such a huge difference. Especially if the boarders were connected it would create highways for insects and animals.

[@MattJarvisMedia]

There are some schemes to encourage farmers to have strips of wildflowers on their land, either down the middle of the field or on the border. The problem is it's still not monetarily viable for farmers, and also a faff to circumvent the physical strip + maintain. I agree by the way, but if it was a requirement / law, I think this will often lead to a farmer fulfilling the bare minimum quota, and require land surveys from regualtory body. To do what you say effectively, we need the farmers to *know* it is beneficial, and they need proof either in improved crop yield, or alternative income. Either that or a total shift in mindset and farming techniques.

[@jameseden9380]

We just need to start collectively buying agricultural land. This is a beautiful thing to see. Big props to summerset Wildlands

[@MattJarvisMedia]

Absolutely, little by little!

[@theowlfromduolingo7982]

We will still need agricultural land to survive

[@MattJarvisMedia]

@@theowlfromduolingo7982 this is true.

[@dinogamingproductions4535]

That's why we go little by little....besides a crap ton of farmland goes to just feeding livestock. Maybe eventually you could start slowly weening cattle to good healthy pasture. It won't be perfect prairie, but it will be better

[@jameseden9380]

@MattJarvisVideo are you aware of any other projects like summerset wildlands? Any cooperatives that are doing similar work elsewhere in the country? What is the progress and expansion plans for Ssetwildlands? Where can normal people give money to buy real land? Thanks

[@glennjgroves]

Beautifully filmed and produced.

[@MattJarvisMedia]

thanks!

[@yasmeenismail6408]

Hello Matt. This is fantastic. Such a good video. Thank you for making it. It’s so convincing to see the difference in the land compared to the neighbouring fields. Beautifully shot and lovely natural commentary. 👍🏼👍🏼

[@MattJarvisMedia]

Thank you Yasmeen, very different indeed, I hope it will make the farmers stop and think sometimes too!

[@alwaysfourfun1671]

The "rewilding" theme triggered me to watch you movie. Beautifully done! Rewilding is a very hopeful development. Such fields are so much more rewarding. To experience it, you approach a spiritual level. Lot's of people will need a little bit of help to change their way of thinking.

[@MattJarvisMedia]

Absoutely well said :)

[@Maritafeb15]

Wonderful to see. I hope you’ll take regular videos to record what’s happening. Congratulations and thanks for this project

[@MattJarvisMedia]

Thanks, I'll try my best! A trip in spring this year maybe :)

[@janstannard6560]

What brilliant filming, production and commentary, Matt. My colleague Hannah and I (from the rewilding charity Heal) had the privilege of spending a hot morning in June this year (2022) being shown around these very fields by Alasdair. Aren’t they simply amazing? Abundance was the word, insects beyond counting. We absolutely loved being there.

[@MattJarvisMedia]

Thanks very much Jan, I’ve been following Heal on Twitter! The fields here are indeed amazing and I’m glad I got to revisit in summer. I really hope we start to see people investing in and initiating more like this, big and small-scale. Be sure to have a look at the documentary made last year if you haven’t yet, it shows the fields in winter which is also a lovely sight 😊

[@gerardomanteca5224]

That field has grasses that have oxidized, will be a fire hazard, without periodic ruminant yall just making your self feel good but not accomplishing much.

[@MattJarvisMedia]

@@gerardomanteca5224 sure but so is a woodland / meadow, any other unmanaged area of wilderness. The levels are sparsely populated and risk of fire by humans is quite low. Any other fire would be natural and can aid growth in the long run. The levels are also divided up by droves which are canal like structures in between most fields, the soil is nearly always sodden and floods every year. What has been accomplished here for biodiversity is a great success, and we need more of it. I’m sure on larger scales, fire precautions would be discussed.

[@nealmasters8642]

Brilliant video Matt. I really enjoy the style your developing here telling important wildlife stories by coupling stunning shots with carefully chosen music and interspersing it with witty and informative pieces to camera... top job!!

[@MattJarvisMedia]

Thanks Neal, great to hear! It's very difficult to find time to make KZbin vids as I have a lot of client work these days. Also difficult to balance a clean and professional output with comedic editing - they tend to be antagonistic.

[@eliletts8149]

Beautiful video! These fields remind me of the ranch my family used to own in South Texas! We left the ranch to be as natural as we could leave it! It had so much biodiversity for being only a 12 acre slot of land! It is great that more places can be allowed to rewild now days! Thanks for sharing your video!

[@MattJarvisMedia]

wow I would love to see it!

[@charlieneilson1239]

Matt, you’re a real inspiration to your generation. We need to drive the re-wilding projects to connect the land for species movement. Everyone can make a difference on their own “patch”. Well done for bringing these beautifully filmed vids to the screen. Let’s keep spreading the importance of re-wilding to our farmer friends :)

[@MattJarvisMedia]

Thanks so much Charlie. I think that's a good point, that we don't need huge projects all the time, just a multitude of connected patches. I think the hardest part will be teasing farmers away from more destructive methods onto sustainable, and long-term economically beneficial techniques.

[@motiejussaladzius995]

its mad to think i live like 15 miles away from this and this is the first im hearing of this, this is mad nice ngl

[@MattJarvisMedia]

yes! it's pretty inconspicous before you get to the gate itself, near Westhay WWT :)

[@anthonymorris615]

Young man you have a talent. I could watch two or three hours of this sort of videography. Perhaps you could team up with a group like Mossy Earth. Make a feature for rewilding and/or carbon capture. Wish I had such talent.

[@MattJarvisMedia]

Thanks so much Anthony, what a kind comment! I will definitely have a look at Mossy Earth - currently I’m working with a variety of projects, one of them involving Blue Carbon (ocean carbon). I’ll definitely keep doing this kind of thing so keep an eye on the page 😊 Oh and pick up a camera and have a go - I’m entirely self taught so you can be too!

[@marilynwargo6288]

Keep up the rewilding! 🌸🐌🌸

[@MattJarvisMedia]

Always!

[@bodgerliz5138]

A year late but, I remember fields like this that I played in as a child. Beautiful to see again.

[@deeclark386]

Stunning as always. Wonderful worthwhile project

[@MattJarvisMedia]

Cheers Dee, it's a great project indeed, I hope more get involved in ways they can :)

[@starflash08]

It’s the insect life which is most heartening

[@MattJarvisMedia]

Absolutely, it really was thriving in there, in turn I imagine life will increase up the trophic levels. I guess thats largely down to reproductive rates and life span.

[@billwaller4993]

Marsh harrier 4.48, Reed buntings at 7.45 and 10.59. Purple loosestrife 5.03, Silverweed 6.12, Lesser spearwort 9.50, Meadowsweet 10.15.

[@MattJarvisMedia]

Thanks Bill great knowledge!

[@IanDentonDorsetWildlife]

@@MattJarvisMedia I think you need a Bill with you to enhance these nice films - it would add a lot of value

[@MattJarvisMedia]

​@@IanDentonDorsetWildlife technology never equates to a Bill. I'll try and up my knowledge!

[@constantinmuller3017]

beautiful!

[@MattJarvisMedia]

Thank you Constantin!

[@andyheavyside]

I want to see more and more of this throughout the uk. I come from the wirral and the amount of crap housing development is ridiculous. Another issue I have is having to pay to park in every green location in my area. These area should be for all. Keep the vids coming.

[@MattJarvisMedia]

Absolutely agree with both those points Andy. New builds are one of the most sorrowful things to come out of the UK at the moment. Absolutely devoid of life and also terribly built for the new owners. Personally I think it’s laziness and doing the bare minimum to make money. Also with the car parks once again making green spaces more inaccessible for people. Public transport is not currently good enough to start charging that much for parking!

[@nicolediedrichsen3000]

It is so good to see that nature comes back if given a chance. We need more of that. Everywhere. Thanks for the video.

[@MattJarvisMedia]

Thank you Nicole!

[@damonchampion823]

Great video. Thanks for posting

[@josemartinezgonzalez2450]

Brillante video.

[@MattJarvisMedia]

Thanks Jose!

[@Piwonia67]

You're doing an awesome work. I'd like people in my country to understand how much nature is precious.

[@MattJarvisMedia]

Thanks so much Aga!

[@RussTillling]

Good video, well done!

[@lokiwun]

Terrific Matt. Thank you.

[@MattJarvisMedia]

Thanks so much :)

[@DakotaCelt1]

Beautiful videos! I'm glad to see the re-wilding! The diversity of animals is amazing. There are areas in the US that are trying to preserve the original prairie lands. They are wonderful places to walk. I wonder if Brian May's wood is part of a re-wilding project? I believe that is in Dorset. Carry on!

[@MattJarvisMedia]

Thanks! I didn't know about his project, I'll definitely take a look, that's only a couple of hours away from me...

[@jwornell2114]

great video!

[@petersterling5334]

Great Video. Thanks for sharing. Its amazing how Powerful rewilding can be. Also there are Many Fantastic models and examples of Eco Friendly Grazing techniques and Growing Tons of food without Herbicides, Pesticides, Fertilizers which are Destroying our Precious Fragile Planet!

[@MattJarvisMedia]

Thanks! Absolutely, conservation grazing can work wonders when done correctly!

[@Captainumerica]

8:00 That red plant is millet. Very good graminate to feed the birdies. Sparrows love it and eat tons of seeds. Keep up the good... let nature do its thing 👍

[@MattJarvisMedia]

Aha thanks! Yep the birds really loved it :)

[@kavalkid1]

Health, happiness and many children!

[@GardenandGreen]

I remember watching your original video. It's great to see the progress. All these projects, everything from people adding a wildlife pond in their garden, schools planting hedgerows, councils planting street trees to larger projects like this, all must be having a gradual positive impact on our wildlife and nature. In recent years there's been thousands of them, so it's going to be so interesting to see the progress of them all, and whether combined together they really start improving wildlife populations. Unfortunately, every year we also lose more and more land to development, people adding artificial lawns to their gardens etc. Regarding sheep, a while ago on Twitter, a smallholder who rears sheep, wrote a list of all the plants sheep like eating before they eat grass. If what she wrote is true, it made me think why don't farmers sow cheap seeds in fields, to grow all these plants, some were fast growing shrubs. This would mean 1 acre would contain way more 'biomass' ie. sheep food, than what 1 acre of grass does. So, this would surely mean they would also require less fields for the same number of sheep.

[@MattJarvisMedia]

Thanks for watching the original too, it's great to see it in a different season too. It's going to be really difficult for us to find a way to keep introducing these spaces without a change at the top (govt), but we can keep putting the pressure on! If you check out the video on my client work playlist, theres a video about soil restoration which shows a farmer using regenerative methods and a herbal ley - it's exactly what you speak about, allowing the sheep to graze in a biodiverse fallow field.

[@ardieson4542]

good job Matt! love to see animals finding a home! Also, great narrator voice :)

[@MattJarvisMedia]

You legend thank you. You are one of my go to artists, literally been editing to one of your tracks as we speak. Keep up the awesome work. PS, the tracks that I find myself needing a lot are the chill title sequence types. 40s-90s with gentle crescendo. Long Live The Sky Creatures was a goldmine for this 😊

[@ardieson4542]

@@MattJarvisMedia Wow, I had no idea! You are very welcome and same to you - keep up the awesome work, love what you are sharing! Thanks for the tip - gonna keep that in mind. :)

[@leroybabcock6652]

The United States has enormous potential for rewilding. It's a great point of my personal hope for the generations of all earth beings

[@MattJarvisMedia]

100%

[@gotherefindout]

It would take a heart of stone not to be emotionally moved at the natural wild diversity so beautifully presented here. This go round of 2022 humanity burdens nature by our ignorance that of all the "stuff" from luxury to simple that globally, collectively we buy .... WE, actually do not. The planet cuts the cheque for all of it. The cheques are starting to bounce. If we comprehend that our "buying stuff" is like a lash stroke every time on the global ecosytem that is this planet ... then we "get it" and have a real shot at saving an amazing species .. us.

[@MattJarvisMedia]

Cheques starting to bounce, great way of putting it! Thanks for watching :)

[@JackHumphrey]

Simplest way to fix the biggest problems - vast areas left alone and protected all over the world. To the tune of 50% land and water rewilding and protected, per Reed Noss. We need to go from the proven small tests to scale as fast as we can.

[@MattJarvisMedia]

100%

[@obiwahndagobah9543]

At some point they would have to bring some cattle or horses in there, otherwise in a few years trees will overgrow the area and the flowers are gone. Low intensity grazing is a important conservation tool. Leaving fields just alone will only create a short lived paradise.

[@MattJarvisMedia]

Is there anything wrong with natural grazers around like the deer? Also, wouldn't this be exactly what a natural environment would do anyway? Just thoughts...

[@obiwahndagobah9543]

@@MattJarvisMedia Wild cattle (aurochs, European bison) and horses were a integral part of our ecosystem until we hunted them to extinction quite recently. Robust breeds of domestic cattle and horses can provide the same benefits however and are easier to handle in a cultivated landscape. Deer alone are not sufficient in most cases. Roe deer are selective feeders, they don't graze. They are more like goats and nibble away the most nutritious plants. Red deer are not full grazers but are intermediary between roe deer and real grazers in their needs for nutrition. Also you need really big and heavy animals (several hundred kg's) for some processes in nature, a landscape without them is deficient in its function. Truly wild ecosystems like in Africa and South Asia all have great numbers of big herbivores and predators. Where there are no big herbivores or predators it is because we humans made them extinct. The benefits of so called megaherbivores are the following: They leave bigger piles of dung, which benefits insects and their predators, they open the ground in some places which is necessary for many plants to germinate. Also they inhibit overgrowth by trees more effectively due to their size and strength. As a summary together with natural predators they manage the balance between forest and natural meadows. As predators are missing, we have to manage their population density in many areas however. There is actually a ton of literature about conservation grazing and about which species are suited for which purpose. It is quite interesting to read and I gained so much knowledge about ecological principles through this.

[@MattJarvisMedia]

@@obiwahndagobah9543 thanks for the hugely informative reply! Well the good news is that the neighbouring fields do have cattle (they have known to come into the field by accident on occasion), and I wonder if in the future that will happen on a more managed basis - I think there’s a bit of time here before tree growth gets out of hand. There are reintroductions of European bison 🦬 in Kent, UK, so let’s hope that’s a success and maybe we could see them roaming more in a decade or two!

[@Fynbosfanatic]

So cool. Still think ecological corridors can make a world of a difference.

[@MattJarvisMedia]

They absolutely can. There are some interesting papers showing quite a distinct threshold for the amount of connectivity in an environment causing a significant increase in biodiversity, and it's not (that) much in reality. Just requires habitats to be of a certain size, proximity, and connectedness. I learnt about that more in the tropics, but here in the UK we are already past a point of vast ecological destruction and it's about recovery as well as prevention.

[@raphlvlogs271]

marshlands can gradually turn in to wooded swamplands which can support much more wildlife

[@Nitka022]

What a delightful short film about re wilding! A pleasure to watch...:-) Few comments/suggestions if I may..:-) I agree 1000% that we all eat way too much! But times are changing. I must say half of my family and some friends started to eat OMAD way - One Meal a Day, with less meat/fish and more salads and vegies. Some eat 2 small meals as one is too difficult to start with. We ALL should truly stop being gluttons with constant unhealthy snacks..:-) Do you travel a lot around England/Scotland/Ireland? Would it be possible for you to do these short films about other places which are being re wilded? I know there is heaps happening now, on the good Island and all positive..:-)) It will be absolutely amazing to watch and to follow any progress. I subscribed to your channel and will await with great anticipation more gems of this sort...:-) Thank you..:-)

[@MattJarvisMedia]

Thank you! Yes I hope to make many more videos. Finding the time outside my job is tricky, but I am looking to make more in the future. At the moment I am still working with the Somerset Wildlands team who have just bought more land!

[@tobe4real]

Wow brilliant video!! Amazing filmography

[@MattJarvisMedia]

Thank you!

[@helloman1302]

Do you let large herbivors graze the area occasionally? It also used to be part of the natural process and is helpful to maintain and support this diversity

[@MattJarvisMedia]

They do, there are cattle in the neighbouring field which pass through occasionally. Historically there would be aurochs grazing some areas, but these were relatively dispersed and only pass through rarely.

[@kha6629]

Really cool! 4:02 are Cirsium arvense and 4:56 Cirsium vulgare. Super common and a great place to observe critters on.

[@MattJarvisMedia]

Thanks Kha great knowledge!

[@jakes9708]

Just here to feed the algorithm.

[@NoirMorter]

You're not taking my steaks crazy man. Still the field looks amazing.

[@MattJarvisMedia]

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with having a locally sourced steak every now and then. Even better if it comes from well managed grass-fed or agroforestry. It’s all about reduction anyway. The issue comes from our enormous demand for meat, the land required is vast. Anyway, you’ll be able to enjoy a lab grown steak soon I’m sure! 🥩

[@NoirMorter]

​@@MattJarvisMedia I agree with you its insane that somehow its economically viable to send meat internationally to factories then back to random countries to eat.

[@MattJarvisMedia]

@@NoirMorter we can agree - that is madness!

[@NoirMorter]

@@MattJarvisMedia Look into any laws that stop farmers from selling their products to customers. Like here in the states a dairy farmer can't sell fresh milk in a bottle, or for a long time butchered meat to restaurants.

[@markplut6919]

Damselfly at 5:14 is Enallagma cythigerum and dragonfly at 5:16 is Anax imperator, both males.

[@MattJarvisMedia]

Brilliant, thanks for the IDs Mark!

[@lettochfilms]

Sympathies with the GH5. I had two myself but made the switch to Sony about a year ago. It's a bit of a pricey move but full frame & autofocus - wow! Don't regret it one bit. Lovely work on the docs. Most enjoyable to see. Thanks for doing them.

[@MattJarvisMedia]

I’ve done the same! Since that was filmed I’ve got myself a reasonable Sony setup and yep - it’s much better. The GH5 is still in my kit for portability and macro atm.

[@lettochfilms]

@@MattJarvisMedia Yeah its a bit of a step up, apart from the IBIS, which I have found to be slightly less good but not a disaster. I hear they have caught up with that on the A7Rv. Did you get the A7siii? I'm on the verge of getting it, mostly for the 100fps. At the mo I have the A7iii & now the A7iv, which is a great camera, but does lack the full frame slo-mo which I think may be essential for wildlife. Anyway, really enjoying your work.

[@MattJarvisMedia]

@@lettochfilms yea im on the a7siii now. To be honest I've not had the best opportunity so far to have a dedicated wildlife session, but I am excited for it. The noticeable difference from the GH5 of course the weight especially of the lenses, and lens changes if rigged up. I'm waiting a bit and maybe when I've got some time in I'll do a proper review. Definitely though the 100fps 4K 10bit for wildlife is essential I would say, on the GH5 the 150fps 1080p 8bit just didnt cut it especially at low light. What I have used of the Sony 100fps has been great, but remember to employ the native/dual ISOs 640 and 12800 on sLog3 to avoid grain. It also doesn't burn in giving you a bit more flexibilty in post, but I now need to upgrade the Mac too!

[@MattJarvisMedia]

On top of this, the a7siii also has (I think) 240fps at 1080 10bit so wowza, if you want it for KZbin, mobile, that is amazing, I might add a 4th custom. You also get clear image zoom so approx 1.4x but it's awkward to keep setting it up. But thanks for the kind words, I hope to get back on to KZbin soon!

[@annebell565]

4.10mins ... thistles are pioneer ssp, when proper native shrubs & trees come in, the thistles will be phased out by competition ...

[@tonyadeney1245]

good vid

[@jeffduck4498]

The main issue is bad animal management you can have that with animals but it requires change in practice

[@MattJarvisMedia]

Absolutely, intelligent use of animals can really aid the ecosystem. These could be livestock or semi-wild. There’s also many deer that pass through this area by themselves.

[@uggali]

And yous came and did the same thing to my country😭 I’m from NZ and before Pākehā (British settlers) came with hungry eyes and guns and axes the land was wild from the mountains to the ocean and we had introduced 3 mammal species, polynesian rat, Polynesian dog, and ourselves, who did some harm, moa apparently for example, but when the Europeans introduced scores of predators and pest plants and diseases to the almost all the islands we were flabbergasted at the decline in our taonga species who we depended on for countless uses

[@Captainval28]

I recomend you visit calendar park here in Scotland Falkirk everywhere you go in autumn there is fungi, the fungi is everywhere on everything, bugs, wildflowers, birds and more in large numbers there is still non native trees nd many nuthatchs but they ate not reducing the speed t which biodiversity rises in it

[@MattJarvisMedia]

That sounds amazing I would love to visit! I’ll have a look online :)

[@creeseman]

Great video! What was the song during the "cinematic of wilderness" portion? It really added to the visual ambiance

[@Tascountrygirl]

This is a voice with slughtly different take on rewilding. I live in Taamania, Australia. Now in Summer as we are in February, Scotch thistles (introduced by Colonial Europeans in the 1880's or later) have taken over in areas that are not bush but temporarily not being used. Sorry I have to sat that Scotch thistles take over, they cannot and are not eaten by any of our native animals that I know of. Our eco systems, birds animals, native trees and grasses are totally different from European. Otherwise I am at one with rewilding, do not eat meat or drink milk, support our Aussie groups like Bush Heritage by who buy land of value only to for the native species of animals, birds and flora that used to thrive in these mostly degraded areas previously used for grazing. Managers stay on site and visitors ans volunteers to help with restocking with original trees and grasses. High fences may need to be temporarily built to keep out feral cats, dogs, etc while our smaller native species have a chance to breed.

[@MattJarvisMedia]

Thanks so much for this angle Toni. It's vitally important to consider local context when thinking about rewildling. Invasives can be a huge huge pain, and the link between colonisation and biodiversity is an extremely important one which often gets overlooked. Thistles can really overrun a habitat, they had this issue in the 00s when they were trying to rewild Knepp in the UK. Both invasives that the Europeans took to other countries, and brough back to the UK/Europe (e.g. North american Lupin, Himalayan Balsam, Rhododendron) are causing severe damage to habitats and can very quickly colonise when rewilding, so we need to have measures in place to stop this. As much as the vision is 'let nature take it's course' we will practically be looking out for these issues during rewilding initiatives.

[@tonyadeney1245]

SAW NOTE CRITICS - good job mate - rewilding farm charente, ironically cost allowing cattle to free roam, is cheaper and produces better meat - minimum input costs, no chemicals why bother, animals happier too - naturally cow breeds and pigs are forest wood animals - it was almost bred out of them but odd how quickly they seem at home - less use of expensive pesticides, less vet bills and done carefully selected managed wood cutting added in - making more money per hectare with rewilding - than a fields of winter clover and a barn - counter-intuitive but works - neighbour doing oak and truffles (no pigs allowed obviously) france pattern smaller farms but higher value product - wild ducks, asparagus, soft fruit, organic meat herbs - high value crops are risky but diversity is key - if the black grapes fail we have walnuts if that isnt good we have ducks - and we tend as little as practicalble. brit near does cider and apple liquor - maybe the way to go subsidies cant go on like this ...

[@Person12222]

Are dock leafs also native to North America I live in Illinois I go hiking in restored praries I want to know if these Dock leafs are native to North America?

[@MattJarvisMedia]

I think there are all sorts of species of dock so you'd need to know which one. Sometimes they can be very invasive!

[@Person12222]

@@MattJarvisMedia Thanks like you rewinding content!

[@MattJarvisMedia]

@@Person12222 thank you!

[@HampusBerglund]

What’s the song at 1:27 called? Beautiful, just like the nature shots. Really fits the mood.

[@irishfruitandberries9059]

'Before You Left' by Yehezkel Raz

[@razisamimi9287]

Planting trees would definitely make it far more wild. Too bad so many people don't care. Humans are closely linked to trees and wildlife. Without it we have lost a vital part ourselves as the earths inhabitants.

[@MattJarvisMedia]

Trees are incredible but not needed everywhere in the UK in terms of land types. If trees were to grow here naturally then it would be welcomed, but some areas kept as meadow or grassalnds are also perfectly ok. The UK used to be about 75% forested before people chopped them all down!

[@irishfruitandberries9059]

Great video. Do you know the name of the music from1.18 - 3.04? Thanks

[@MattJarvisMedia]

Thanks! At my fingertips I do not, but it was from Artlist.io. I can have a look next time I open the project file.

[@irishfruitandberries9059]

@@MattJarvisMedia great. Thank you

[@irishfruitandberries9059]

@@MattJarvisMedia it's called 'Before You Left' by Yehezkel Raz.

[@user-gr5ps6hq2z]

In the end nature will win, if we let her.

[@robbiebennett2231]

Hi Matt, great video, can you advise the best way to contact you?

[@pauldurkee4764]

There is a problem here, removing agricultural land while at the same time the population of the UK is growing. The question has to be asked, are rewilding projects implemented so that other farmland can be sacrificed for development and the building of new houses. Yes it does look like the countryside used to before intensive agriculture took over, but the population was lower then.

[@MattJarvisMedia]

Thanks Paul, the growth rate for the UK is quite small (0.34%) and predicted to plateau and even drop by 2050. These fields were for sale and not productive, so it's not necessarily about replacing farmland. We do however have a consumption issue globally, and the amount of meat consumed per capita is consistently increasing. This demands much more farmland, both for pasture, and for the growth of animal feed. So we do need to consider the strain we're putting on the land via what goes on our plate. As you probably know, agricultural land is classified into differing qualities, and so converting a grade 1 productive field to a wild landscape is very different to a grade 5 field. I think we need to be very careful about what farmland might be converted, but also, more intelligent ways to farm and produce food. For example, mixed pasture grazing can still provide rewilded landscapes, produce meat, create agroforesty, and be extremely biodiverse.

[@pauldurkee4764]

@@MattJarvisMedia Matt if those are official government figures, I would be sceptical, based on the amount of housing development that is taking place. Can you see the argument, why are they building large amounts of houses for a falling population?

[@MattJarvisMedia]

@@pauldurkee4764 One source was from world bank, another here from data commons: datacommons.org/tools/timeline#place=country%2FGBR&statsVar=GrowthRate_Count_Person&chart=%7B%22count-none%22%3A%7B%22pc%22%3Afalse%7D%7D I see what you're saying. We've been in a 'housing crisis' for decades now and there's a siginificant lag on actually having enough housing, hence why they are still being built. I personally despise many newbuilds as they are so out of touch with nature, and largely built cheaply for profit rather than to last. They also, as you say, are sometimes built on productive land (I made a video to help protect an area of G1 farmland in South Glos in 2021 from a new 'garden city'. This is also exacerbated by an increasing need for the very wealthy to have multiple properties. A lot of the property developers we see building now have held the rights to the land for many many years, and what we are seeing now id probably more reflective of an intention 10-20 years ago.

[@Nic-kt6of]

It’s row cropping that ruins the environment. Not cattle. That’s healthy field if done right

[@Narnendil]

Properly managed old pastures where the grass is regularly cut or eaten is actually the most biodiverse ecosystem in this part of the world, more so than "overgrown" grasslands like in the video. So please don't speak badly about pastures that are managed in a good way for biodiversity. That said, many different types of nature are needed and this kind of overgrown grassland type is definitely one of them too! It is great to see how nature take its course in this field! And probably most pastures today aren't managed like they should be to be so biodiverse. I just wanted to point out that grazed pastures aren't automatically a bad thing, but rather the opposite. (Pardon my English. I'm not a native speaker.)

[@Narnendil]

Also, this has nothing to do with my view on meat and dairy consumption btw (noticed many people discussing this in the comments). It's just a fact that properly grazed pastures are extremely biodiverse and we don't need to eat meat nor dairy to see that we need grazed landscapes. I mean, we killed all the aurochs and the wild horses in Europe. Now if we want to preserve this vital ecosystem of grazed lands we probably need cows and other animals to help us with that work. The animals nor their milk don't need to be eaten for this to happen.

[@MattJarvisMedia]

I am speaking primarily at a UK level. Pastures that are managed well for biodiversity are great, but these are not what I show in the video - which are basically wasteland. The most biodiverse ecosystems in the world are tropical rainforests, and Andean rainforest - as an ecologist I know this as a fact. The biodiversity of properly managed pastures are completely dependant on their context (location, climate, elevation, etc). What we need less of (what I say in the video...) is excessive meat and dairy consumption, and ecologically devastated land. I never speak badly of properly managed pasture.

[@Narnendil]

@@MattJarvisMedia I said "most biodiverse in THIS part of the world", as in UK and northern Europe, which is factually true. But I know the rain forests are even more biodiverse if you look at the world as a whole. I agree that the pastures you show in the clip look like they are overly grazed which is not biodiverse at all. I also said in my earlier comment that I believe most pastures are probably not properly managed for biodiversity. But I simply wanted to point out that you in the video didn't sound at all like you were saying that only overly grazed, badly managed pastures like the ones you showed in the video are bad. It sounded like you considered all grazed pastures bad for biodiversity and I simply wanted to point out that that is not factually correct, but the opposite.

[@MattJarvisMedia]

@@Narnendil I guess we're agreeing overall. I see you did say 'this', and I would agree that potentially they could be some of the most biodiverse. Although you still have to compete with some pretty biodiverse ecosystems from example Atlantic/Celtic Rainforest (obviously grows in different locations to pasture). As you say, especially in the UK very very little of pasture is managed to a level where it could be considered highly biodiverse, and it would be great to see more. Maybe I didn't make it clear enough in the video (maybe it's there and I left it out in the edit I can't remember). But yes there are cows nearby that sometimes roam into this field. I was talking to an ecological consultant who explained that aurochs did indeed graze a lot of land, but their activity would've been infrequent and transient. He said many areas of the UK would almost never actually see the action of aurochs, just due to their movement patterns. So this field, grazed/trampled or not, could be a very reasonable replica of what we would see historically in the UK countryside.

[@simonbarrow479]

@@MattJarvisMedia great video. Thanks for making it. Couple of points/questions. You referred to this area as a wasteland. It’s not wasted by any means, as you know. We need to change our vocabulary so that these areas are thought of as wasted. Also, if left, surely this would revert to woodland. And that’s where browsers and grazers come in. If as your ecologist friend suggested, herbivores only visited occasionally wouldn’t this just be woodland? I would have thought that there is no reason why aurochs, horses, bison and boar wouldn’t have kept this as more open ground. And finally I would have thought that the most biodiverse areas are where there is a mixture of habitats: open land with grasses etc, shrubby areas with hawthorn and blackthorn and brambles, and mature trees. Some insects need the mixture for their lifecycle.

[@josephblackhall]

Great video, if only more of the UK looked like this. It would be great to have a least one BIG wilderness area for camping and hiking in. I understand the effect agriculture has on our land but a reduction in consuming meat is not necessarily the answer. Frankly it seems that high carb diets are the cause for a lot of health issues, I have personally seen my health improve tenfold by not eating carbs of any kind and eating mostly meat (at times, exclusively meat). These low carb, high animal fat and high animal protein diets prove to be healing for many people with chronic illnesses. The call to reduce peoples intake of what is the most nutritious and least processed food on the planet is very anti-human. It also raises the question of how much land will need to be used to grow enough plant alternatives which are far less nutrient dense per unit. Just my two cents. Thanks for your effort.

[@MattJarvisMedia]

Thanks for your comment Joe. There's no doubt that we need to eat what our bodies feel comfortable with, and plant-based diets are not suitable for everyone. A reduction in carbs (depending on the individual) can be beneficial with nuts and legumes being of extremely high nutritional value. However, I would be very wary about such meat heavy diets due to the scientifically proven long-term risks associated with eating large quantites of red meat: Type 2 diabetes, calcium homeostasis, renal issues, liver issues, cardiovascular disease, and colorectal cancer (I worked at oncology conferences for several years and this came up regularly). Meat is also not particualrly nutritional, just calorific and high in protein. Intake of protein should be about 15-30g per meal, eating more than this is not recommended (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5357654/). Far less land is required to grow plant alternatives, due to a large proportion of crop being used exclusively for animal feed. In the UK this is 40% of arable land, globally it is as high as 70%. Then you add on the land that is used to rear animals and grazing (much of this is currently not mixed with cropping), it's a huge waste. It's also easier to adapt cropping to more sustainable techniques (hydroponics, microgreens, vertical farms, solar), not to mention the almost complete removal of ethical issues. As for large wilderness areas, we definitely need more I agree. For that, we need to take a bigger look at land ownership. Scandinavia generally tackles this very well, but their citizens have a much healthier relationship with the countryside.

[@josephblackhall]

Thanks for your measured response, I’ll continue to look into this subject. All the best

[@MattJarvisMedia]

@@josephblackhall no worries and keep up the hiking!

[@billbhein2949]

Amazing what man can do for nature by doing nothing..

[@MattJarvisMedia]

so true!

[@Exiledk]

Oh. Less meat, less dairy. What more should we have less of, in your opinion? Here's the thing; no farms, no food.

[@MattJarvisMedia]

I never said no farms Keith, are you suggesting arable farmers aren’t farmers? I’m all for agroforestry and mixed grazing, it can work wonders when done effectively, but that requires us to reduce our intake of these products. Reduce being the crucial word here. Since you asked, less fossil fuels, less sewage and runoff being pumped into watercourses, and less plastic usage.

[@HladniSjeverniVjetar]

Actually....meat is not the primary source of land usage in agriculture in the world....at least not directly. You can raise meat animals in a better way and it's actually better for us and environment and the animals. One of the major issues you got in Uk is leaving the nature as it is....due to removing the top predators you might lose all the nature you get back due to overgrazing. Not sure how you manage the deer and wild hog population. It's an interesting project none the less.

[@MattJarvisMedia]

Hi Bura, thanks for your point. I don’t think I made that claim that it’s the largest, but it certainly is a large one. You’re right, you can be much more efficient with land use through agroforestry and careful grazing methods. However, our current demand for meat, especially in the UK is simply too high and relies heavily on imported meat or industrial scale farming which I’m sure you’ll agree is unethical. We can adopt a more sustainable way, but this has to be coupled with a lower and more conscious demand. Unfortunately we have indeed removed keystone species such as the wolf. There are efforts to stabilise deer overgrazing through hunting or simulated ‘wolfpacks’ but it is very difficult. Reintroductions would be great but there are many barriers to overcome.

[@HladniSjeverniVjetar]

@@MattJarvisMedia As i see it, if more people take land into possession and you get smaller agroforestry and regenerative farms that single families can take care of, you would lessen the living pressure on the urban centers, deal with destructive monocultures, get meat production to a stable level while at the same time get more sustainable landscape where you could have more patches of "wild" forests and meadows. It's a bit on idealistic side and i haven't done the math but it would probably be better than what it is now with large fields of monoculture just destroying the biodiversity. The thing with introducing the predators is a bit tricky since they will multiply in bigger numbers if they got abundance of prey so you will have to control them by hunting again.

[@topp0009]

Cant you buy fields n build s st george foretst lenth uk n sideways, nature run ful lengh link al forests up buy buyung strategic buts if land

[@MattJarvisMedia]

That would be great Neil, but it's very difficult when almost all the land is already owned by someone. They are doing a large corridor to the south coast in Knepp for example.

[@Odoacer127]

Completely lost me when you started going after meat and dairy. Look at the work of Allen Savory or Richard Perkins or Joel Salatin, and stop propagating the myth that the only way to do animal agriculture is industrial and destructive. It's not. And not only that, you can't tell me that monocultural fields of vegetables being turned over every year with pesticides, herbicides etc isn't WORSE for the environment and biodiversity then even something like over grazing, at least then some biodiversity stays. And then there's the issue of the extremely important and superior nutritional value of meat, but that's a whole other can of worms.

[@MattJarvisMedia]

Come on now Jesse you're extrapolating from what I said. I said we don't need to eat the amount of meat and dairy that we currently do. The demand is higher than it ever has been, and unfortunately there are massive environmental (and social) damages that occur because of intensive farming, which is where most people in the Global North get their meat. If you look at the comments I have agreed that agroforestry and combined grazing is a really great option, but that simply will not cater to our current demand for these products. It is important that we reign in our demand for these products whilst transitioning to more regenrative and sustainable farming methods. In terms of monoculture, 60-70% of the world's (40% here in the UK) current crops are used to feed the animals to eat. Now yes this would improve with mixed grazing but once again you're losing a huge amount of that meat through non-intensive methods. Herbicides are bad yes, but you're actually growing net fewer crops when you reduce the number of animals to feed for human consumption. As for health, well I used to work in oncology and I can tell you that our current consumption of meat is far too high per captia and, at those levels, carcinogenic. Of course meat can be part of a balanced diet but increasing scientific evidence shows that it should be limited. B12 can be gained through other sources and fortified foods. This is an example where you've heard me supposedly 'going after' meat and dairy, and got very defensive - possibly because of your love for the taste, or personal involvement in that business. I'm simply stating that our current demand for meat is unnaturally high, and yes, it has a negative impact on the planet. The science is pretty clear on this one.

[@GreenLight11111]

Just like the country has from top to bottom railway lines there should also be wildlife trails from top to bottom of the country. I should be able to walk a complete wildlife line from top to bottom. As should the wildlife.