Ecology Service
West Yorkshire Ecology Service provides two main services - advising on biodiversity conservation and hosting the West Yorkshire Ecological Record.
The key role of West Yorkshire Ecology Service (WYES) is to provide informed and authoritative advice and information to the planning authorities in West Yorkshire to help conserve the most significant biodiversity habitats and species.
WYES is the secretariat for the Local Sites Partnership as well as surveying, assessing and recommending designation of wildlife and geological sites for strategic planning documents. Advice is also provided on development control, site management and interpretation.
The WYER is a publically accessible database of biodiversity containing information on all designated nature conservation sites and habitat networks within West Yorkshire. Over 720,000 individual species records across a range of biotic groups, including many protected and notable species, are mapped on the geographical information system (GIS).
These records are regularly consulted by developers, district council ecologists, other nature conservation organisations, members of the public, students and researchers. Sources of information available
within the WYER include:
• Records of all designated sites in West Yorkshire
• Reports of ecological field work conducted by WYES
• Wildlife Habitat Network maps for West Yorkshire
• West Yorkshire Local Wildlife Site Selection Guidelines
• Minimum Standards for Bat Surveys in West Yorkshire
• Bat Alert Layer for development control applications
• Guidance for birds and small scale wind turbines
• Phase 1 Habitat Surveys for all districts within West Yorkshire (1990)
