France - Country Profile

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Status and Trends of Biodiversity

Overview

France is composed of various ecosystem types, notably wetlands, lakes, costal habitats, prairies, and forests. Agricultural zones cover more than half of the French territory. Metropolitan France (excluding overseas territories), covering less then 12% of the European continent, comprises 40% of Europe’s flora. This flora is characterized by a high rate of endemism, especially in the Mediterranean and Pyrenean parts of the country. 4 700 species are known to exist in mainland France and 486 of them (10%) are considered endangered or vulnerable. However, some species are increasing in numbers, particularly in forest areas. Regarding France’s fauna, 39% of reptiles, 36% of mammals, and 22% of freshwater fish species are currently threatened. In addition, the country comprises 276 species of birds, of which 18% are threatened. Overseas, the territories, although 4 times smaller in size than Metropolitan France, are home to 100 times more freshwater fish species, 60 times more endemic birds, 26 times more endemic plants, and 3.5 times more endemic mollusks. French Guyana, with a vast track of untouched primary Amazonian forest, has over 5350 species of vascular plants, and 183 terrestrial mammals. New Caledonia, an overseas territory with its own government responsible for the protection of biodiversity, has a flora which is 85% endemic, with several families and genus found no where else in the world, as well as half of the species of coniferous plants found in the southern hemisphere. In 2005, zones that were dedicated to the conservation of biodiversity accounted for 12.6% of all of the French territory. Today, the destruction, fragmentation and alteration of habitats constitute the most important direct cause of the decline of biodiversity in the country.

Number and Extent of Protected Areas

France has established 1,153 protected areas, including 126 marine protected areas, 18 wetland sites of international importance and 11 Biosphere Reserves.

Percentage of Forest Cover

Forests in mainland France cover 15,554,000 ha and other wooded land 1,708,000 ha. To this forest cover on the European continent must be added the 8,000,000 hectares of forest on overseas territories, of which approximately 7.5 million hectares are in French Guyana. These forests represent a third of the total French forest cover and almost all of the tropical forests of the European Union.

National Biodiversity Strategy Action Plan

Major features of National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan

The objectives of the National Strategy for Biodiversity is to protect habitats and ecosystem diversity, species and genetic diversity, to maintain and develop a web of natural areas over the territory and to ensure the maintenance of ecosystem health and functions. It strives to achieve these objectives in four ways: by mobilizing all stakeholders (e.g. to involve all stakeholders in the implementation of the strategy and raise public awareness); by recognizing the value of biological diversity (e.g. to develop a system that recognizes the services provided by ecosystems and takes into consideration the damages inflicted on the environment); to improve public policies (e.g. to integrate biodiversity into sectoral public policies, to manage territories in a sustainable manner, and to develop cooperation for biodiversity) and especially strengthen the implementation of protected areas and species protection policies; and to develop operational scientific knowledge (e.g. to reinforce scientific research in regard to conservation biology and to develop monitoring indicators).

Implementation of the Convention

Measures Taken to Achieve the 2010 Target

Although no quantitative targets have been identified, France has worked on the conservation of biodiversity through existing national and sectoral legislation, and has adopted 10 sectoral action plans in 2005 and 2006, covering natural heritage, agriculture, transports, seas, over-seas departments and territories, forests, urban planning, land planning, diplomacy and co-operation. The action plan for natural heritage, aiming notably at the further development and creation of protected areas is in its second year of implementation, with notable results in the protected areas programme. Regarding species protection, 16 restoration plans concerning species facing extinction - are being implemented, focusing mostly on large mammals and birds. A new framework to establish and evaluate species restoration plans has been established in 2006. In-situ and ex-situ conservation measures have been established for the protection of domestic breeds, agricultural varieties and forest trees. Various strategies and plans include several aspects related to the 2010 target, notably the sustainable use of ecosystems and the reduction of the pressures on biodiversity. The need to take into consideration local knowledge and practices has been mentioned in the Third National Report. New legislation to control trade and transport of invasive aliens has been introduced in January 2007. Mounting threats from global changes – notably climate change – on biodiversity are also taken into consideration in the National Biodiversity Strategy.

Initiatives in Protected Areas

In regard to protected areas, the country intends to: integrate 90% of priority habitats and protected species into the protected areas system, create 10 marine parks (6 by 2012), and protect 1/3 of all coasts by 2030. The country has completed in 2006 its designation of the Natura 2000 network, with nearly 1700 sites and over 12% of the terrestrial metropolitan territory. It has created a new terrestrial national park in Guyana (3,390 million ha – 28 Feb. 2007) and another national park in the Reunion Island is to be created early 2007. Several other protected areas have been created recently, with a focus on marine biodiversity: one of the largest natural reserves in the world, on the southern islands of Kerguelen, Saint Paul, Crozet and Amsterdam (2,27 million ha, marine and terrestrial; 2006), a marine natural park in La Réunion (3,900 ha – February 2007), a terrestrial and marine natural reserve in the lagoon of Mayotte Island (January 2007), and the coral reefs and lagoon of New Caledonia are being proposed for world heritage inscription.

Initiatives for Article 8(j)

Actions have been undertaken and documents have been elaborated, notably in regard to the local communities of French Guyana and New Caledonia. Important conservation and local sustainable development approaches have been developed in France since the 1960s, with strong cultural, social, and countryside conservation elements, notably through Regional Natural Parks, which cover almost one fifth of the metropolitan territory. Local communities are consulted during the process that leads to the creation of natural reserves and national parks, and local authorities play in important role in PA governance.

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