The European regulation on the restoration of nature, which came into effect in August 2024, requires member states to present concrete plans to restore degraded environments. In France, the financial resources identified for nature restoration fall short of the estimated needs.
Acting for the environment is no longer limited to protection: it now involves actively repairing ecosystems weakened by decades of artificialization and drainage.
Nature Restoration in France: A Plan, but What Funding
The European regulatory framework requires states to implement measures that go beyond mere conservation. The restoration of rivers, peatlands, and drained wetlands is part of the expected actions.
The ministry estimates the annual needs to be between 4.6 and 5.2 billion euros. The funding already mobilized would amount to approximately 3.1 billion euros. The gap, ranging from one to two billion per year, has drawn criticism from several environmental associations.
This issue of sustainable funding represents a recurring blind spot in calls to act for the environment. An ambitious plan on paper loses its impact if the funding does not follow, and the available public data does not yet allow for verification of the actual trajectory of expenditures compared to the announced commitments.
Concrete Solutions in Urban Areas: The Example of Oasis Schoolyards
Solutions for a sustainable world do not solely rely on large national programs. Local initiatives demonstrate that it is possible to combine climate adaptation and water management on modest surfaces. A feedback report from Cerema, dedicated to the Oasis schoolyards of Bry-sur-Marne, illustrates this type of approach.
The principle is based on three combined levers, documented on platforms like ecoecho.org:
- Vegetalization of soils to reduce the heat island effect, by replacing asphalt with permeable surfaces and plantings suited to the local climate
- Deimpermeabilization allowing rainwater infiltration directly on site, which reduces pressure on sewage systems during intense rainfall events
- Creation of cool zones usable by students and local residents during periods of high summer heat
This type of project interests local authorities because it simultaneously addresses two climate risks (heat and flooding) in the same space. The known limitation lies in the long-term maintenance costs, which are rarely budgeted during the design phase.
Biodiversity and Ecological Transition: Protection is No Longer Enough
The association Agir pour l’Environnement, founded in 1997, has been running a program for the creation of biodiversity reserves for five years. The principle involves acquiring natural land and protecting it contractually for a duration of up to 99 years. This model of direct land protection circumvents some of the political uncertainties that undermine traditional regulatory frameworks.
The European regulation pushes the logic further by demanding an active restoration of degraded environments, not just their preservation. In practical terms, this means intervening on drained peatlands, canalized rivers, and meadows converted into intensive crops. The difference between protection and restoration changes the scale of the necessary resources, both human and financial.
Several questions remain open. The indicators for monitoring restoration vary from one European country to another, complicating the comparison of results. The implementation timeline also depends on the ability of regional administrations to translate national objectives into on-the-ground actions, a link that is often lacking in French environmental policies.
Sustainable Development and Citizen Action: What is Changing at the Local Level
National and European programs set the framework, but the essence of the ecological transition takes place at the level of municipalities and intermunicipalities. Water management, public space planning, and local land policies concretely determine a territory’s ability to adapt to climate change.
The most effective citizen action targets local decisions, where a group of local residents can influence a local urban planning plan or the choice to maintain a wetland rather than drain it for a real estate project. Mobilization campaigns led by associations like Agir pour l’Environnement largely rely on this capacity for local pressure.
Sustainable development in France faces a governance paradox. Objectives are set at the European and national levels, but the concrete levers of action (building permits, stormwater management, maintenance of natural spaces) fall under the jurisdiction of local authorities. Without dedicated resources at the regional and municipal levels, plans remain documents of intent.
- Regions have competencies in biodiversity through regional agencies, but their environmental budgets vary significantly from one territory to another
- Municipalities with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants, which represent the vast majority of the territory, often lack the technical expertise to develop ecological restoration projects
- European funding (LIFE funds, environmental CAP) requires complex applications that small local authorities struggle to compile without external support
The transition from intention to action requires addressing this structural gap. Solutions exist, as do regulatory frameworks. The weak link remains local execution capacity, where projects take shape or remain unfulfilled.
