The 20th
anniversary
edition
March 14 & 15, 2025
at UNESCO • Paris

The figures regarding biodiversity decline are alarming. It is widely acknowledged that human activity and our lifestyles and consumption patterns have accelerated this rapid depletion: we are the cause, and thus likely the remedy. What levers do we have, both individually and collectively, to limit this erosion and restore living ecosystems?

Christophe Aubel: The IPBES(Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services – the IPCC of biodiversity!) has paved the way, emphasizing that action is possible, provided we engage in "transformative changes," seen as the "fundamental, systemic reorganization of economic, social, technological factors, including paradigms, objectives, and values."

The term "transformative change" should not be feared. Societies have already accomplished such changes, for example in agriculture after World War II, or in achieving food autonomy by leveraging numerous levers: agronomic models, training, financing, regulation, etc.

It is clear that all actors (public authorities, local governments, businesses, unions, associations…) as well as individuals, each at their level of responsibility, must mobilize. The good news is that solutions exist, and the other good news is that re-establishing our connection to the living world will help us build a future worth aspiring to, which we need, it seems.

Nature = Future, a desirable future, we will showcase it on March 14th and 15th!

The French Agency for Biodiversity (OFB) has recently been at the heart of debates and criticisms from the agricultural sector, particularly in its role as an environmental law enforcement body. What is the reality of this mission for the OFB, and how can it intensify its efforts to address environmental law violations?

Christophe Aubel: Among its main missions, the French Agency for Biodiversity plays a role in environmental policing. With around 1,800 agents across the country, this police force intervenes across the entire spectrum to ensure compliance with laws that protect the environment. This includes actions ranging from prevention to investigating the most serious violations, from administrative policing to judicial policing.

OFB agents, armed with service weapons, commissioned and sworn before the court, act with balance in exercising their governmental prerogatives, ensuring that all procedures are handled impartially. With strong technical skills to assess natural environments and evaluate the impacts of human activities, they form a specialized police force and collaborate daily with other national security forces (police, gendarmerie, customs…) to coordinate their efforts.

We should also note that the controls we conduct are planned according to priorities set by the prefect and public prosecutor in each region.

Interactions between agriculture and biodiversity are well known. Farmers are the first to suffer from the effects of climate change (heatwaves, water stress…) and biodiversity collapse (soil depletion, disappearance of pollinator insects…) that already impact agricultural yields. They are also the first to benefit from nature-based solutions.

However, due to certain practices, some farmers may also harm the environment and thus be subject to controls or investigations by our agents. That said, the proportion of agricultural activities in our policing efforts is only about 15%, well below that of individuals. This is not the primary focus. I would add that the OFB works with the agricultural profession to improve understanding of regulations and their proper application, helping guide agricultural practices toward models that are more respectful of ecological balances.

Biodiversity is a common good upon which we depend. It is therefore normal for a nature police force to be dedicated to upholding the rules that protect this common good.

What should the future of public policies on biodiversity protection look like, and how can we ensure they are effective in their application?

Christophe Aubel: I would refer to the global framework from COP 16 and France’s SNB3, both of which set ambitious and meaningful goals. The key point is that while dedicated policies (protected areas, national plans for threatened species, green and blue infrastructure, EU directives, nature police to enforce regulations, etc.) are essential, the solution will also—and perhaps especially—lie in reducing the pressures on ecosystems. This requires modifying sectoral policies (agriculture, land planning, energy, trade…) so that they work "with nature" rather than "against nature." Moreover, we must re-examine our economic model to stay within the biosphere’s limits. Infinite growth in a finite world is simply not possible. We must move away from the dogma of growth.

To make progress, we need to invent new forms of governance, more inclusive of everyone, address inequality, and, finally, acknowledge that we are interlinked with non-human life.

The OFB is launching a large communication campain in 2024 and 2025 to raise awareness among the French about the importance of preserving, protecting, and restoring biodiversity. What message do you wish to convey, and how do you plan to resonate this message through the campaign, particularly at the Université de la terre ?

Christophe Aubel: The key message is what I call "ownership of the issues." The growing recognition of the importance of biodiversity in public opinion over recent years is real. Polls confirm this, and the content in newspapers shows it. However, this awareness has not yet fully materialized; biodiversity is still too often seen as just a collection of animal and plant species—often regarded as beautiful or appealing but limited to being our environment, a backdrop for our existence.

But biodiversity is much more than that. It is the entirety of life, not just isolated species. Species interact with one another, and it is this functioning of life that makes the Earth habitable, especially for humans. That in itself says it all: no life for us without other living beings—we are part of and dependent on life.

This planet is therefore ours collectively, with non-humans. Let’s learn to live with them, not without or against other species. This is the only viable path in the face of the climate and biodiversity collapse challenges ahead. But let's not see this defensively; on the contrary, it is an opportunity. It’s a chance to reinhabit the world in a way that feels good, to believe in the future.

Nature = Future is not just a slogan; our future is tied to the non-human others. We will see at the University how this can allow us to build society differently.

Our species has disconnected from nature and non-human life. There is an urgent need to reconnect with nature today. How can we find our way back to our natural environment in the age of all things digital and virtual?

Christophe Aubel: Look at the world as it is now: our intelligence allows us to do many things, to create comfort, but it will never allow us to create what makes life possible, what makes our life possible on the planet. Let’s reclaim that, and from there, inhabit the world in its fullness: it’s our world, and the world of others, not just humans.

To find our way back, we must of course go outside, look again at what lives alongside us, take time to feel our attachments—to a tree, a river, a garden, an animal species, a plant species… The trees on your street are not just decoration; they live, shelter other beings, and help regulate the climate near you. Each of us must find our way to reconnect with life, in our own way. We won’t all be naturalists, but we all have attachments to the living world.

Facing the biodiversity collapse challenge is not just an individual issue—it’s also, and primarily, a collective endeavor, one of cooperation, democracy, and reducing inequalities. We must collectively build other visions of happiness. A "good life" is more surely found in relationship with other living beings, both human and non-human, than in accumulating more material wealth.