Habitat
Types
At Dunsany Estate, a rich variety of habitats provide food, shelter, and breeding grounds for countless species, forming the backbone of our rewilding efforts.
The varied habitats that sustain Dunsany estate
Dunsany Estate is home to an extraordinary diversity of habitats – 47 distinct types in total, from woodlands and wetlands to grasslands and freshwater systems.
To make this complexity easier to understand, each habitat type is given a distinctiveness rating, which reflects its ecological value and rarity. We group them into four broad categories of habitat distinctiveness:
Very High, High, Medium, and Low.
On this page, we explore 4 representative habitats from across those categories, highlighting what you might encounter and why they matter for biodiversity.
What are
Habitat Types
Habitat types describe the different natural environments found across the landscape from ancient woodland and wildflower meadows to ponds, wetlands, and farmland.
Each type supports its own unique community of plants, animals, and fungi. Protecting and restoring a range of habitats is essential for biodiversity, climate resilience, and the health of entire ecosystems. The more diverse the habitats, the more life the land can sustain.
This isn’t just about conservation. It’s about rebuilding ecosystems that help clean our air, store carbon, and make the world a little wilder. And you’ll get to visit the estate to see your impact first-hand.
Explore our main habitat types
Habitat Type 1
Very High Distinctiveness (Irreplaceable Habitats)
Examples: Ancient woodland, priority wetlands, coastal saltmarsh, active peat bog.
What you might see:
Dense, ancient native woodland with towering trees, layered understorey, and fallen deadwood.
Riverbanks shaded by mature trees, with naturally structured channels.
Species-rich fens and bogs carpeted in mosses, sedges, and standing water.
A wild, intricate landscape that feels untouched and timeless.
Habitat Type 2
High Distinctiveness
Examples: Semi-natural habitats, species-rich grassland, lowland meadows, reedbeds.
What you might see:
Meadows alive with colourful wildflowers and diverse grasses.
Reedbeds echoing with bird calls and buzzing insects.
Thick, mixed-species hedgerows brimming with wildlife.
A landscape rich in life, though not as ancient or irreplaceable as Very High.
Habitat Type 3
Medium Distinctiveness
Examples: Improved grassland with some diversity, plantation woodland, ponds, scrub.
What you might see:
Pasture or grassland with scattered flowers but dominated by uniform grasses.
Young plantation woodland with neat rows of trees and little understorey.
Scrubland, bramble patches, or ponds that show nature’s value but clear signs of management.
Habitat Type 4
Low Distinctiveness
Examples: Arable land, amenity grassland, hard-standing with weeds.
What you might see:
Monocrop fields with bare soil or cereals, supporting little diversity.
Amenity grassland such as lawns, park areas, or sports pitches.
Urban edges with weeds pushing through cracks in disturbed ground.
A landscape that looks neat and controlled, but low in ecological value.
Want to learn More?
For those who want to go deeper, the full list of 47 habitat types can be explored by clicking the drop-down below.
Cropland
Arable field margins cultivated annually (Medium Distinctiveness)
Arable field margins pollen & nectar (Medium Distinctiveness)
Arable field margins tussocky (Medium Distinctiveness)
Cereal crops (Low Distinctiveness)
Winter stubble (Low Distinctiveness)
Horticulture (Low Distinctiveness)
Grassland
Lowland Grey grassland (High Distinctiveness)
Lowland meadows (Very High Distinctiveness)
Other neutral grassland (Medium Distinctiveness)
Tall herb communities (H6430) (High Distinctiveness)
Heathland and Shrub
Blackthorn scrub (Medium Distinctiveness)
Bramble scrub (Medium Distinctiveness)
Hawthorn scrub (Medium Distinctiveness)
Hazel scrub (Medium Distinctiveness)
Mixed scrub (Medium Distinctiveness)
Cherry Laurel scrub (Low Distinctiveness)
Lakes & Ponds
Aquifer fed naturally fluctuating water bodies (Very High Distinctiveness)
Ornamental lake or pond (Low Distinctiveness)
Ponds (Priority Habitat) (High Distinctiveness)
Ponds (Non-Priority Habitat) (Medium Distinctiveness)
Temporary lakes, ponds and pools (H3170) (High Distinctiveness)
Wetland
Reedbeds (High Distinctiveness)
Woodland and Forest
Lowland beech and yew woodland (High Distinctiveness)
Lowland mixed deciduous woodland (High Distinctiveness)
Native pine woodlands (High Distinctiveness)
Other coniferous woodland (Low Distinctiveness)
Other Scot’s Pine woodland (Medium Distinctiveness)
Other woodland: broadleaved (Medium Distinctiveness)
Other woodland: mixed (Medium Distinctiveness)
Wet woodland (High Distinctiveness)
Wood-pasture and parkland (Very High Distinctiveness)
Individual Trees
Rural Trees (Medium Distinctiveness)
Hedgerows
Native Species Rich Hedgerow with trees – Associated with bank or ditch (Very High Distinctiveness)
Native Species Rich Hedgerow with trees (High Distinctiveness)
Native Species Rich Hedgerow – Associated with bank or ditch (High Distinctiveness)
Native Hedgerow with trees – Associated with bank or ditch (High Distinctiveness)
Native Species Rich Hedgerow (Medium Distinctiveness)
Native Hedgerow – Associated with bank or ditch (Medium Distinctiveness)
Native Hedgerow with trees (Medium Distinctiveness)
Ecologically Valuable Line of Trees (Medium Distinctiveness)
Ecologically Valuable Line of Trees – Associated with Bank or Ditch (Medium Distinctiveness)
Native Hedgerow (Low Distinctiveness)
Line of Trees (Low Distinctiveness)
Line of Trees – Associated with bank or ditch (Low Distinctiveness)
Watercourse
Priority Habitat (Very High Distinctiveness)
Other rivers and streams (High Distinctiveness)
Ditches (Medium Distinctiveness)
