COP16: endemic, threatened species… how is biodiversity in France?

France, an exceptional nature in danger… On the occasion of the COP16, which opened this Monday, October 21 in Cali in Colombia, a look back in five figures on the state of biodiversity on French territory, in mainland France as well as overseas.

► 22,775 endemic species

The blue-headed hummingbird in Martinique, the wild cat of Corsica… France is home to 22,775 endemic species of fauna and flora, that is to say living in a strictly delimited territory. They are mainly present in overseas communities, and, in mainland France, are concentrated in the south of the Alps, the Pyrenees, the Massif Central and in Corsica. Geographically isolated, these regions are more conducive to the development of these species, which do not occur anywhere else in the world.

With a limited range, these groups are often among the first to be threatened, although endemism does not in itself constitute a risk factor for extinction. Among marine species, this endemism would be rather low, an observation partly due to the fact that it is less studied than in a terrestrial environment.

► 16.7% of threatened or extinct species

In 2018, France ranked among the 10 countries with the greatest number of threatened species, particularly overseas.

In sixteen years, scientists have evaluated 17,367 species present on French territory. Among them, 2,903 species are threatened and 189 species have disappeared. They are listed on the National Red List, a report established since 2008 according to international criteria set by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

From vertebrates to invertebrates, from flowers to trees, all groups of species of fauna and flora are concerned. Among these threatened species, 32% of nesting birds shave for example endangered.

The assessment, however, highlights “good news”thanks in particular to backup strategies. In December 2023, two young lynx were filmed in the Pre-Alps, in the heart of the Bauges massif. This is the second proven reproduction in the area, a sign that the species is gradually regaining ground in France.

► 44% of metropolitan species are unknown

At the start of 2024, only 51% of the 205,399 species recorded in France (France and overseas, terrestrial and marine environments) have at least one piece of data (location, date and observer) published on the National Natural Heritage Inventory website.

However, we do not have any accessible data for 44% of species in mainland France, and 56% of overseas species. Among these, invertebrates, mushrooms and marine species are the most represented, because of the difficulties in observing them, a hostile environment, or even… their lack of popularity.

► In 2023, a 14% increase in people engaged in participatory science

Last year, the number of people participating in biodiversity citizen science programs increased by 14%. A significant increase even if it does not reach the record number of more than 152,000 participants in 2020, the year of confinements.

Organized by the Bird Protection League, the French Biodiversity Office, or even local associations, these information collection programs allow the public to participate in a scientific approach, through observation in the field. Supported for around thirty years by the National Museum of Natural History, the Vigie-Nature program, for example, gives everyone the opportunity to “contribute to research by discovering the biodiversity that surrounds us”.

► 1,003 wolves in France, a drop of 9%

Focus on one of the species that fuels controversy in France: the wolf. A catalyst for tensions between environmental defense associations and breeders, this predator reappeared in France in the early 1990s, crossing the Alps from Italy. Its ranks have gradually swelled, to the great dismay of breeders, who deplored more than 12,000 animals attacked in 2022.

But according to a press release published last May by nature defense associations, its population has fallen by 9% over one year, now standing at 1,003 individuals. The associations asked the State to consequently reduce the number of authorized shootings of wolves, set at 19% of the population.

If this predator is considered a species “strictly protected” in the European Union, its status could be reviewed. Member States gave the green light in September 2024 to move from a “strict protection” to a « protection simple »which would make it easier to eliminate wolves when they are considered too numerous in certain regions.