A WENSLEYDALE landowner has received a national award for his conservation work on more than 2,000 hectares of agricultural and moor land.

The Hon Harry Orde-Powlett accepted an SSSI award from Mr Martyn Howat, general manager for English Nature's North and East Yorkshire team, at Bolton Castle, near Leyburn, on Monday, in recognition of his work on the Lovely Seat, Stainton Moor and Ox Close sites of special scientific interest on the Bolton estate.

The award was one of only two given in North and East Yorkshire this year, and one of a total of 28 presented among the 32,000 landowners who manage the country's 4,000 SSSIs.

At the presentation, Mr Howat praised the teamwork between Mr Orde-Powlett and his staff and tenants.

"The land Harry Orde-Powlett manages is in what we call 'favourable condition' for wildlife as a result of his commitment and dedication to managing the land appropriately with his tenants and staff. It has been very much a team effort," he said.

English Nature's target of helping owners and occupiers of SSSIs towards ensuring 95pc of the land was favourable to wildlife by 2010 depended very much on others following the Bolton estate example.

"It is a big estate and what is particularly impressive is the tree planting that goes on, obtaining the correct grazing levels and balancing in a harmonious way the interests of agriculture, country sport and wildlife," said Mr Howat.

"Managing an SSSI for the benefit of wildlife takes a lot of hard work, dedication and enthusiasm and it is in recognition of this, and the extra effort put in on the Bolton estate, that English Nature makes this award.

"Harry Orde-Powlett's enthusiasm for nature conservation has seen him working with his staff and tenant farmers to develop sustainable farming and estate management practices that have at their very heart nature conservation, proving that agriculture and wildlife need not conflict."

Mr Orde-Powlett said: "I am delighted with what we have achieved so far and the award proves there is no conflict with what English Nature and we want to achieve on the estate.

"The sustainable management of the SSSIs on the estate is one of my interests and gives me a great deal of pleasure."

In 1995, the estate entered a large area of moorland into English Nature's wildlife enhancement scheme, a voluntary programme designed to conserve and improve the wildlife interest of land under SSSI designation.

Under the scheme, the estate has worked with English Nature to increase the biodiversity - the plant and animal life - of the areas.

The SSSIs on the estate contain heather moorland, ash woodland and limestone grassland habitats and are home to birds including golden plover, short-eared owl and merlin as well as scarce plants such as narrow-leaved marsh orchid, spring sandwort and blue moorgrass.

Mr Howat said uplands continued to feature strongly in English Nature's work. The organisation had joined several others, including the Moorland Association, the Game Conservancy Council and the Moorland Gamekeepers' Association, to identify best practice, share experience and promote appropriate use of moorland.