IMPLEMENTING A METHOD FOR STUDYING THE CH OROLOGICAL EVOLUTION OF VERTEBRATES IN CONTINENTAL FRANCE

In France, the increasing threat to wildlife led to the setting up of a Ministry for the Environment in 1972. The Department for Fauna and F lora (Secretariat de la Faune et de la Flore, S.F.F.) was then establi shed in 1979, within the National Museum of Natural History (Museum Na tional d'Histoire Naturelle). This allowed for the improvement of the means for expertise and permanent follow-up the living elements of the national natural heritage. A network was developed to collect all cho rological data and create the national data bank for wildlife. The mai n aim of knowing the wild vertebrates of France allowed for the defini tion of a methodology for the scientific knowledge and management of t his heritage. The current strategy for the exploitation of the scienti fic information being processed is aimed at : generating reference lis ts, evaluating the same time assessing the various problems and limiti ng factors. The S.F.F. can produce global chorological evaluations for all wild vertebrates in France. The current prospects are aimed at co mparative and causal chorology; they include the concept of biodiversi ty and improve the follow-up of macroevolution of the natural heritage of vertebrates, as well as the regular updating and supplying of the results. Ultimately, the move towards interacting the process of knowi ng and that of preserving the heritage of wild vertebrates in progress ing fast and calls for answers that are urgently needed.