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<