On a one acre site in Surbiton, the Citizen Zoo team have combined the principles of rewilding with the aim of providing access to nature for all.
Citizen Zoo is an organisation dedicated to rewilding; the process of restoring habitats back to previous functional states, sometimes reintroducing species that once thrived there.
One project in Norfolk even saw ‘Citizen Keepers’ rearing grasshoppers in their homes to be released into the wild.
Urban Rewilding Officer, Pia Trevelyan-Ashby said: “It’s an amazing project. We’ve released over 7,000 grasshoppers over the last seven years so it’s very successful.”
While rewilding projects typically take place in rural settings, Citizen Zoo works in urban areas with the people and communities who live there.
Edith Gardens is a peaceful nature reserve in Surbiton that staff and volunteers have been restoring since 2021.
The site has an interesting history – previously used as an air-raid shelter during World War 2 and later converted into an allotment. In 1992, it was designated a Local Nature Reserve.
Now Citizen Zoo has turned Edith Gardens into a request-to-access site that offers a tranquil space and a way to enjoy nature for groups who might not otherwise be able to.
Trevelyan-Ashby said: “It’s been really successful since the introduction of the wheelchair path, we’ve also put in ponds and tried to create an oasis away from everything.”
Local volunteers are encouraged to get involved in a variety of ways. That could mean anything from clearing vegetation to creating dead and live hedges, or pond management.
The South West Londoner visited Edith Gardens to find out more about the site from Urban Rewilding Officer, Pia Trevelyan-Ashby.
To find out more about rewilding projects in London, visit Citizen Zoo
Featured image credit: Edith Gardens, Cressida Wetton
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