France

France being the largest country in Western Europe, has a variety of landscapes, with an terrestrial area of close to 638,000km² and a marine areas close to 371,000km² split between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. It is bordered by 8 other countries. The highest point is Mont Blanc at 4,809m on the Italian border, the highest mountain in Western Europe. France has a population of 67 million people and a population density of 105.6 people per km².

of land covered

by protected areas

of marine waters

covered by protected areas

species protected

under EU law

habitats protected

under EU law

Protected areas in France cover a total of km² on land and km² at sea, making it the country in the EU with the largest terrestrial and marine protected areas networks.

Percentage of area covered by protected areas

Currently, of the terrestrial territory of France is designated as protected areas, which is slightly above the EU value of 26.4%. The EU Biodiversity Strategy has set a target of reaching 30% protected area coverage at the EU level by 2030. With a coverage of in its marine waters, France surpasses the EU value of 12.1%.

Number of protected areas

France has a total of protected areas, comprising sites designated under national laws and recognized as Natura 2000 sites. These Natura 2000 sites are designated under the Birds Directive, encompassing Special Protection Areas, and the Habitats Directive, encompassing Sites of Community Importance. Many sites are designated under both Directives.

Number of protected areas

Protected areas designated

under national laws

Designated sites

in the Natura 2000 network

Distribution of protected areas between national designations and Natura 2000

In France, about half of the protected areas in the terrestrial environment are designated exclusively under national laws. The other half consists of Natura 2000 sites ( ) or those areas where Natura 2000 sites overlap with national designations ( ). The marine protected areas network in France largely consists of Natura 2000 sites, either designated solely or overlapping with nationally designated sites, with a small portion covered by nationally designated areas only.

Spatial distribution of protected areas network

Protected areas designated under national laws

Designated sites in the Natura 2000 network

Size distribution of protected areas network

The size distribution of the protected areas network in France terrestrial environment, aligns with the trend observed in many other EU countries, where the majority of protected areas are smaller than 1km². Only about 1% of terrestrial protected areas are larger than 1,000km². However, the distribution of protected areas in the marine waters of France presents a more heterogeneous picture, encompassing a range of sizes, with small protected areas (smaller than 1km²) constituting only 6% of the network and large protected areas (larger than 1,000km²) covering 11% of the network.

Natura 2000 sites

Natura 2000 sites in France cover species and habitats from the nature directives. The number of species and habitats protected in each site varies depending on the location of the site, the biodiversity in the region, the designation being used, and the features the site is being created to protect.

Species protected in France under EU law fall under the Habitats and Birds Directives. France hosts protected under the Habitats Directive, which is approximately 21% of the total of the Habitats Directive’s species and protected birds, which is approximately 73% of the species protected under the Birds Directive.

species protected under EU law

species under the Habitats Directive

species under the Birds Directive

Conservation Status of species: Habitats Directive

In France, of species assessments indicate a good conservation status, while the EU average corresponds to 27.5%. The proportion of assessments indicating bad conservation status is reaching , compared to the EU average of 20.6%.

Protected species composition by taxonomic group

In France, the distribution of protected species across taxonomic groups highlights the prominence of birds, comprising the largest proportion at 53.4%. They are followed by mammals and vascular plants, accounting for 11% of protected species.

Conservation Status by Taxa

In France, the assessment of species groups reveals that vascular plants have the highest proportion of species with a good conservation status, standing at 46.8%. Following closely behind are reptiles with 33.3% and arthropods with 32.4% of species in good conservation status. On the other hand, molluscs exhibit the highest percentage of species with a bad conservation status, reaching 56.6%, while fish and amphibians also have a significant proportion of species in bad conservation status at 52.9% and 38.1% respectively.

Habitats protected in France under EU law fall under the Habitats Directive. France hosts habitat types, which is approximately 55.8% of the total of habitat types protected by the Habitats Directive.

habitats protected under EU law in France

Conservation status of habitats

In France 20.2% of habitats assessments indicate a good conservation status which is above the EU average of 14.7%. On the other hand, the proportion of assessments indicating a bad conservation status, amounting to 33.7%, is just below the EU average of 35.8%.

Protected habitat composition by group

In France the group of protected habitats with the largest number consists of forests, accounting for 22.3% of the total. Following closely behind are coastal and salt-tolerant habitats, encompassing 14.5% of the protected habitats.

Conservation status by group

In France the assessment of habitat groups reveals that rocky habitats have the highest proportion of good conservation status, standing at 53.8%. Following behind are sclerophyllous scrub, with 47% of habitat types in good conservation status. On the other hand, grasslands exhibit the highest percentage of habitat types with a bad conservation status, reaching 56.8%, while dune habitats also have a significant proportion of habitat types in bad conservation status at 52.3%.

France is predominantly characterised by two main types of ecosystems: agroecosystems, which cover 56.2% of the country, followed by Forest ecosystems occupying 32.1% of the land area. While urban areas account for 6.7% and heathlands contribut to 4.3%, France has relatively smaller proportions of rivers and lakes (0.6%), and wetland ecosystems (0.1%).

In terms of the protected area network, forests constitute the largest portion, covering 47.07% of the protected areas. Agroecosystems make up 41.1% of the protected areas, reflecting the importance of conserving and managing agricultural landscapes for biodiversity. Heathlands contribute to 7.1% of the protected areas, while urban areas account for 3.2%. Rivers and lakes represent 1.1%, and wetlands comprise 0.4%.