Castle Howard: The important role Yorkshire stately homes play in shaping biodiversity

It shows how historic patterns of land use have shaped the landscapes in Britain protected for biodiversity.

They looked at areas including the Howardian Hills, North York Moors, Yorkshire Dales and Nidderdale along with 10 National Nature Reserves and 190 Sites of Special Scientific Interest across North Yorkshire.

Historic houses and estates with popular nature attractions like Castle Howard, Duncombe Park and Nunnington Hall were also included.

At Duncombe Park a medieval deer park became a designed landscape for a stately home which maintained that woodland.

Its long management history is, in greater part, responsible for it now being a nationally important haven for beetles and other insects, while in other locations woodland has been dramatically reduced or cleared altogether.

Dr Michael Stratigos, from the University of York’s Leverhulme Centre for Anthropocene Biodiversity, said patches of semi-natural ancient woodland were incorporated into the landscape designs of 18th and 19th-century country houses which have been maintained to this day.

Privately owned estates continue to be responsible for much of the most valued biodiversity in England

Dr Stratigos said: "Biodiversity protection is most often done by, and in many ways for, those landowners who will be much wealthier than average."

Earlier this month nations meeting at COP15 in Montreal agreed to protect a third of the planet for nature by 2030 – which has been dubbed 30x30 - in a landmark deal aimed at safeguarding biodiversity.

Dr Stratigos said: “Expansion of protected areas via 30x30 and perhaps other biodiversity protection schemes could, if we aren’t careful, exacerbate wealth inequalities.”