As an independent educational charity, free of financial and political affiliations, the Society works to ensure that the government, the National Park Authority, Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and other agencies deliver their promises to care for the Yorkshire Dales.

The Society works to address the following key issues in the Dales:-

Transport

Transport, the means we choose to travel to, from or within the Dales, has a major impact on the natural and the man-made environment. Use of motorised vehicles has a range of adverse effects including visual blight and urbanisation caused by parked or moving vehicles, traffic noise, air pollution, risk of accident and injury to humans and wildlife, and congestion.

Affordable Housing

In 2002, the average cost of a house in the Dales was £178,000 which was double the national average at the time. As prices continue to rise in the Dales young people are increasingly being driven out of the area in order to find their own place to live when they leave the family home. The Yorkshire Dales Society actively campaigns for positive measures to address the desperate lack of affordable housing.

Employment

As the rural economy constantly strives to survive and adapt to changing circumstances, the Yorkshire Dales Society works to ensure the area sustains employment for the people who live in it. Diversification plays a significant role in maintaining and building opportunities for employment and the Society seeks to support initiatives which foster the economic prosperity of the Dales whilst protecting their special qualities.

Planning

The issue of Planning in the Dales is often a thorny one and The Yorkshire Dales Society helps by providing an independent watchdog role. The National Park Authority is the statutory planning authority for the National Park, which means that by law, they are responsible for dealing with all planning applications and related matters. The YDS is one of the bodies that are invited to comment on every application received by the YDNP.

Access

Large areas of the Yorkshire Dales National Park are now accessible to the public as a result of the Countryside and Rights of Way (CRoW) Act 2000 giving people the right to walk freely on designated 'access' land without having to stay on footpaths. The Yorkshire Dales Society work to raise awareness of Open Access and the responsibility that comes with it for both users and land managers.

Light Pollution

The Yorkshire Dales Society works to raise awareness of, and campaign against, light pollution in the Yorkshire Dales. Even in this rural area we are in danger of losing the spectacle of our night sky by inappropriate, excessive and inefficient lighting, forming a visual smog on the horizon. Not only does this destroy the beauty that our ancestors took for granted, but it contributes to needless waste of resources costing local taxpayers money.

Land Erosion

The Yorkshire Dales Society work to ensure the conservation of unique Dales natural and historical features such as the field barns, limestone pavements, dry stone walls and green lanes which are under threat.

Sustainable Tourism

Every visitor to the Yorkshire Dales is also a tourist, but visitors who stay overnight contribute more the local economy by spending money on overnight accommodation, food, refreshment and ancillaries. All tourism has an impact on the environment and on local communities. The impact is based on the kind of activity and the scale of that activity.