Yorkshire's natural heritage covers a wide range of topics, from how
the rivers and hills were formed by geological processes such as plate
tectonics and glaciation, to the wide range of animals and plants
that find a home in your neighbourhood.
Here
we are focusing on water, wildlife, plants and trees that make up
our natural environment. We need them to survive. Wildlife and plants
are important for the food chain and trees help remove carbon dioxide
from our atmosphere.
Some
features of the natural heritage have been or are being influenced
by humans and throughout the industrial revolution many species became
threatened with extinction because their habitats were damaged or
destroyed by development and pollution. Strict controls on what could
be done came into force in the middle of the last century, and following
the decline of heavy industry at the end of the 20th century, improvements
to water and air quality are helping some species to thrive again.
Birds,
fish, mammals and insects, and the places that they live, need to
be protected so that they can be enjoyed by us and future generations.
Information
on the Natural Heritage webpages is mainly relating to the natural
environment around water.
Water
Wildlife
Plants
& Trees
Protection
of the Natural Environment
Projects
Recreation
