Royal Albert Memorial Museum: Wild

 This exhibition ended on the 4th January

I managed to squeeze in a visit just before this exhibition ended and I was really pleased that I did.  It cost £6 to go in and took up galleries 21 and 22.  

The first section of the exhibition consisted of art showing landscapes, animals and plants.  In amongst these was a video showing photographs on a loop.  These photographs included things like plants growing amongst rubbish or through cracks in concrete, animals such as butterflies and birds. signs about conservation areas or conservation efforts.  These photographs gave important context to what was being asked with the art in this room.  What is wild?  What landscapes count as wild and just how wild are they?  Does it matter how wild they are in terms of deciding their ecological value?  How wild is the pigeon or the hawk?  How do we define wildness so we can keep a little around, because it really is beautiful....  and we need it...

The next section started to introduce some of the species that exist around us.  It looked at the species that have successfully adapted to living amongst humans including the ones we like such as foxes, peregrine falcons and grey squirrels as well as the ones we don't like so much, sea gulls, pigeons and rats.  It then continued with how one type of plant can support a whole bunch of insects.  I found it interesting to see ten different species that all rely on ivy.

There was also a bit about beavers.  Beavers had been extinct in England for some time but in 2008 a population was found on the River Otter but no one knew how they got there.  In 2014 it was found they had started to successfully breed and this point, there was a plan to step in and remove the beavers.  Although some landowners were very concerned about the effect of the beavers and their dams, the overwhelming response was to leave the beavers as they were.  As a result a five year study was conducted to assess their impact.

The findings were not what many people expected.  The beavers were of huge value ecologically and improved the health of the rivers they lived on and reduced the potential of flooding.  As a result, not only were the beavers allowed to stay but others were released.  They have been allowed to spread through the area and to other nearby rivers without being enclosed.  They are being introduced to selected areas in Cornwall now too.

The next gallery featured four case studies.

The first was the Knepp Farm Rewilding scheme.  The farm had very low grade land that was failing to make a profit as a farm.  The owner  decided to rewild the land and the business offers safari's, garden tours, a restaurant, accommodation and events spaces.  The true success though is in the way that wildlife has moved in and is thriving.  Nightingales and Turtles Doves, which are both critically endangered now breed there.  All five of our owl species live there as well as thirteen of our species of bat.  It is now home to the largest colony of Purple Emperor butterflies in the UK.  These are just some of the wildlife successes found there.

The second project was Yellowstone.  As landowners moved cattle in to Yellowstone, they actively started removing the wolf population, until none remained.  Over time though, it became clear that wolves were vital to the health of the environment there.  They kept populations of other animals in balance and prevented over grazing.  The elk population was an issue, with soil erosion and woody plants taking over.  Coyotes also increased which affected the Pronghorn Antelope population.  Eventually plans were made to reintroduce wolves, although many landowners were unhappy about this.  The reintroduction has been successful, despite any conflicts and its clear wolves are vital to Yellowstone being healthy.

It was great to see a bison and a wolf as part of this display.  There was also various books displayed that showed the change in attitudes to wolves.  From reviled creatures to an ecological success.  I found the account of the release of the wolves quite moving and it was great to see photos from Yellowstone too.

The third  case study looked at rewilding being carried out by Noongar indigenous peoples in Australia.  I found this the most moving of the case studies.  South western Australis was identified as being good land for growing grain.  After World War II, clearing began.  There was video showing the clearing taking place and it's hard to believe that anyone truly though this was a good idea, seeing the footage.  It's pretty horrifying.  A diverse and beautiful ecosystem was removed and monoculture of crops began.  It hasn't been an entirely good thing.  The land is now vulnerable to soil erosion and drought with salinity becoming a problem.  

An area of land was returned to the stewardship of the Noongar people.  They believe that in order for us to be healthy, the land must be healthy, we are not separate.  They still had elders that remembered and they worked together to regenerate the land.  It was also decided that art had to be brought in to as well.  From the ground, the planting appears random but from the sky, it's clear that trees are planted in rings and along lines.  It's a beautiful combining of spirtual art and nature.  The video of this was very moving as they talked about the land and showed what they had done.

The fourth case study was a marine no take zone off Arran that had previously been destroyed by over fishing and trawling.  On the surface it's pretty simple.  Stop fishing and fish return, but the seabed had been destroyed.  I hadn't heard of flame shells before but they are small saltwater clams that form colonies.  There were no colonies when the no take zone was formed but then a colony was found,  This has been so important because these molluscs form colonies that knit the seabed together, forming a reef.  This reef then provides a foundation for other species to grow resulting in habitat regeneration as all sorts of species then have somewhere to thrive.  The videos were great.

One of the last things was art commissioned for this exhibition.  Sarah Gillespie produced a series of pictures featuring a garden tiger moth.  The picture on the left showed the tiger moth in full while it slowly faded from view in the second and third picture until the fourth just showed black, with the moth gone.  It's a warning, but also hope, because loss can be reversed.  

The exhibition was well thought out and despite being only two galleries, there was a lot to be absorbed by and I spent a considerable amount of time there.  It was thought provoking, emotional, full of heartbreak and hope.