Overview
- Published on December 9, the report analyzes 248 protected vertebrate species in metropolitan France using Living Planet Index methods.
- Species covered by state-led national action plans show populations multiplied by six on average, yet only about 3% of vertebrates benefit from such plans.
- Concrete recoveries include roughly 70,000 greater flamingos nesting in the Camargue, about 55 pairs of monk vultures, and bat populations that have doubled since the 1990s.
- WWF stresses fragility from ongoing pressures such as widespread habitat loss, with an estimated 70% of hedgerows and half of wetlands gone, frequent ship strikes on Mediterranean baleen whales, reduced protection for wolves, and genetic isolation in lynx.
- Recommendations include ending biodiversity-harmful public subsidies estimated at €37 billion in 2025, enforcing polluter-pays, mobilizing private finance via biodiversity certificates, and expanding well-funded, long-term action plans.