From the rainforests of French Guiana to ancient woodlands in eastern France, thousands of hectares of forest are gaining new protections.
On Tuesday 9 June, France said it has created seven new biological reserves and expanded two existing ones.
Together, they safeguard an additional 157,000 hectares of forest as it works toward placing 10 per cent of its land under ‘strong protection’ by 2030.
However, the vast majority of that land – around 99.5 per cent – lies in a single reserve in French Guiana, France’s overseas territory in South America.
The new reserves in metropolitan France collectively cover under 1,000 hectares.
France's broader forestry goal is to bring 250,000 additional hectares of forest under protection by 2030 – of which 180,000 hectares are earmarked for French Guiana.
The law eases environmental licensing requirements, expands self-licensing for some projects and fast-tracks developments deemed strategically important. »