Presented by the Minister of Ecological Transition, Monique Barbut, as a “a clear and ambitious path”, this road map demanded by the European Union aims to halt an alarming biodiversity decline in France, where 17% of species are threatened and more than half of waterways are degraded. Yet, despite a paper-based response to European requirements, the document struggles to convince environmental protection organizations, who denounce a lack of financial resources and a glaring lack of political coherence.
The Recycling of Existing Measures
The plan sets a series of targeted objectives by 2030 to revive ecosystems that have been destroyed or weakened. Among the flagship measures are action on four million hectares of agricultural land (reduction of pesticides, planting hedgerows), the restoration of five million hectares of forests and 66,000 hectares of marine habitats, as well as the removal of more than 1,700 obstacles on rivers and streams. The government also commits to restoring 30% of the habitats of community interest degraded, covering wetlands as well as urban areas and pollinator populations.
Behind the quantified announcements, environmental groups regret a mere juxtaposition of measures already underway. Leaders from the LPO or the SNPN note that the text resembles more a “catalogue of preexisting measures” (hedgerow plan, forest plan, national biodiversity strategy) than a novel framework capable of deeply transforming public policies. Rather than a genuine strategic impulse, the plan is seen as a formal realignment of initiatives that have been in force for decades.
A Two-Billion-Euro-Per-Year Funding Gap
Beyond the form, environmental representatives warn of contradictory government directives. While the text touts biodiversity protection, associations recall the recent passage of the Agricultural Emergency Law and the re-authorization of certain pesticides. For France Nature Environnement, the restoration of nature cannot succeed if other governmental arbitrations continue to undermine it. Experts also lament the absence of valuing nature-based solutions and passive restoration, which simply reduces human pressure on ecosystems.
Finally, the financial aspect crystallizes concerns: if the plan’s cost is estimated at between 4.6 and 5.2 billion euros a year, current budgets cover only about two-thirds. To close the nearly two-billion-euro annual gap, the ministry relies on the private sector and European funds. NGOs deem this strategy illusory, calling instead for redirecting public subsidies currently granted to environmentally harmful activities toward nature preservation. The document must now be opened to public consultation and evaluated by the European Commission by next spring.
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