Dragonfly, South Yorkshire pond project
The South Yorkshire Biodiversity Forum (SYBF) is a group of 
representatives from a range of organisations who have a responsibility or interest in conserving and promoting the biodiversity of the South Yorkshire region.
The SYBF has been meeting since 2003 and over the past few years, the membership and direction of the Forum has continued to evolve. As of 2011, membership of the Forum includes representatives from the following organisations:
Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council
Campaign to Protect Rural England - South Yorkshire (CPRE)
Dearne Valley Green Heart Partnership
Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council
Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group (FWAG)
Peak District National Park Authority
Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council
South Yorkshire Forest Partnership
The Wildlife Trust For Sheffield and Rotherham
The SYBF is facilitated by the South Yorkshire Biodiversity Coordinator who is hosted by Sheffield Wildlife Trust. The Coordinator works to support the forum in identifying and planning for project delivery that will benefit biodiversity across Sheffield, Rotherham, Barnsley and Doncaster. The Coordinator also works closely with other sub-regional coordinators in the Yorkshire and Humber region to share information, support region-wide partnerships and provide a voice for the South Yorkshire Biodiversity Forum at a regional level. Funding to support the role of South Yorkshire Biodiversity Coordinator has been provided by Natural England and the Environment Agency.
The SYBF is currently looking at the issue of Local Nature Partnerships and Nature Improvement Areas as announced in the Government’s 2011 Natural Environment White Paper.
Yorkshire and Humber Biodiversity Partnership
The Yorkshire and Humber Biodiversity Partnership (YHBP) is a network of
organisations committed to supporting biodiversity through action for sustainable development. The YHBP provides an association within which a range of agencies, organisations, industries and groups identify opportunities for integrated working. It aims to promote and take forward the vision and core objectives of the Yorkshire and Humber Biodiversity Strategy, providing support and empowerment to local groups enabling them to make decisions regarding the conservation of our biodiversity resource. The YHBP has been formed from the Yorkshire and Humber Biodiversity Forum which was created in 1996.
For more information on the YHBP, please visit the Yorkshire and Humber Environment Forum website
The Yorkshire and Humber Biodiversity Delivery Plan
The Yorkshire and Humber Biodiversity Delivery Plan (2010) outlines how we aim to take forward the delivery of the Yorkshire and Humber portion of the UK BAP habitat targets. The Plan promotes an integrated set of actions for the period 2010-2015 to ensure we are better placed to meet our regional habitat targets and their associated species needs.
Within the Plan, priority landscape-scale project areas are identified. These were developed through intensive stakeholder-led consultation and workshops to identify the best areas to make a significant, although not exclusive, contribution towards the delivery of the Yorkshire and Humber targets.
Within South Yorkshire, there are 5 of these priority project areas. The South Yorkshire Biodiversity Coordinator is working with partnerships in these areas to develop action plans for on the ground delivery. The action plans will provide detail of the key aims for the area, priority projects and gaps in delivery – it is hoped they will support local partnerships, communities and funders in identifying the best direction for biodiversity conservation in the sub-region. They will be available here in due course.
The priority landscape-scale project areas in South Yorkshire are:
- Living Don
- Dearne Valley
- South Yorkshire Magnesian Limestone Ridge
- Don Gorge and North Doncaster Levels
- Humberhead Peatlands
For more information on the SYBF or biodiversity delivery within South Yorkshire, please contact: Nicky Rivers, South Yorkshire Biodiversity Coordinator, on 0114 2634335