Conservation of biodiversity as a European directive: The challenge for France

The purpose of the Habitats directive, based explicitly on scientific knowl edge, is to preserve biological diversity on a European scale through the c onservation of natural habitats and wild fauna and flora. It differs from t he standard nature protection policy approaches because of the principles w hich it espouses: maintaining biodiversity and sustainable development. The use of these notions is clearly not neutral nor without consequences. In e xploring the content of the biodiversity concept, this text seeks to demons trate how it redefined nature. An analysis of the text of the directive rev eals its theoretically innovative aspects and the difficulties of applying this new nature policy. While it is dear that there are real difficulties o f interpretation which can apply to all the countries involved, the room to manoeuvre and the risks of conflicts vary from country to country because they depend on the particular political culture. Our hypothesis is that bio diversity, as conceived in the directive and the action framework proposed, involves many contradictions which account for the outbursts in political and scientific circles which its application caused in France.