South Yorkshire Local Nature Partnership

SYLNP is a group with representation from local government, environmental groups, government agencies and the private sector. We work at a strategic level to ensure South Yorkshire's natural environment is valued, enhanced, celebrated and enjoyed by everyone and is recognised for the essential contribution it makes to the local economy and peoples' quality of life.

© Sheffield Lakeland, Trevor Bagshaw

South Yorkshire Local Nature Partnership (SYLNP) is a network of organisations from across the voluntary, public and private sectors of South Yorkshire working together to achieve our common vision:

“South Yorkshire’s natural environment is valued, enhanced, celebrated and enjoyed by everyone and is recognised for the essential contribution it makes to the local economy and peoples’ quality of life.”

To help achieve this vision the SYLNP will aim to ensure South Yorkshire’s natural environment is:

  1. Valued, enhanced and protected By:
    • Seeking opportunities for investment and enhancement at a landscape scale Identifying & minimising risks to the natural environment
    • Promoting existing and new partnerships that benefit the natural environment
    • Promoting appropriate natural capital approaches and investment
    • Identifying and overseeing significant opportunities
    • Coordinating and overseeing major project development
  2. Recognised for its contribution to a sense of place and enhanced quality of life for all By:
    • Promoting evidenced based case studies to health & wellbeing boards, local authorities, others
    • Defining, celebrating and promoting SY natural assets – sense of place – and how this contributes to the visitor economy
  3. At the heart of decision-making for sustainable social and economic development By:
    • Influencing key decision-makers: SCR CA/LEP, Councillors, Mayor etc
    • Actively engaging in the duty to co-operate on Local Plans
    • Identifying and promoting opportunities to support sustainable development in SY, for example through influencing:
    • Planning development and delivery, infrastructure investment, including green & blue infrastructure, flood protection & natural flood risk management, green prescribing, air quality improvement, climate change adaptation/mitigation

The partnership has a Board of local representatives as follows:

Elected Chair: Liz Ballard, Sheffield & Rotherham Wildlife Trust
Elected Vice-Chair: position currently vacant
Kevin Burke, Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council
Anthony Downing, Environment Agency
Hazel Earnshaw, Yorkshire Water
Dr Cate Hammond, Sheffield Hallam University
Laurie Heykoop, South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority
Alison Holt, Natural Capital Solutions
Michael Johnson, Sheffield City Council
Melissa Massarella, Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council
Erika Phoenix, Don Catchment River Trust
Nick Sellwood, Woodland Trust
Crispin Thorn, Forestry Commission
Brian Tinnion, Independent
Paula Tweed, Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council
Tom Wild, The University of Sheffield
Mike Winstanley, Yorkshire Wildlife Trust

The South Yorkshire Local Nature Partnership has an adopted Terms of Reference but is not a constituted body nor does it have any funds or resources of its own.

The current secretariat is Sheffield & Rotherham Wildlife Trust.  To contact the SYLNP please email: l.campbell@wildsheffield.com

Our Board meetings are currently held online. Our most recent meeting was held on 12th December 2023. The minutes are available to download here.

The next meeting will be on 21st February 2024 and will be updated here once confirmed.

The minutes of the previous meeting held on 27th July 2023 are available to download here.

Adopted SYLNP Strategy