Biodiversity and sustainable real estate news
The 2024 edition of the report from the National Observatory for Living Environments (ONCV) offers a detailed analysis of French people's expectations regarding their everyday environment. A key finding emerges: nature is no longer perceived as an added bonus, but as a central component of well-being, territorial attractiveness, and resilience. Here are the key points to remember, directly linked to the issues addressed by IRICE and the Effinature framework.
Nature becomes an explicit priority
- 42% of French people consider proximity to nature as an essential element of their living environment, well ahead of proximity to services or work.
- This figure rises to 53% in municipalities with fewer than 20,000 inhabitants, revealing a strong expectation in peri-urban and rural areas.
👉 For real estate projects, this data validates the challenge of creating visible and measurable ecological value, and not just ticking a “green space” box.
Urban biodiversity serves several concrete functions
The report identifies several benefits of biodiversity integrated into the urban fabric:
- air quality improvement,
- thermal regulation (cool islands),
- positive effects on mental health and social cohesion,
- capacity to adapt to climate risks.
👉 These are all operational arguments to justify a certified, traceable approach, integrated into the project repository.
Social expectations are numerous… and sometimes contradictory
The report distinguishes three social representations of nature:
- a “domesticated” nature (lawns, ornamental trees),
- a “useful” nature (water management, ecosystem services),
- a “wild” nature often perceived as disorderly or even bothersome.
👉 This confirms the need for education, support and clarity in projects: a visible but accepted nature, integrated without rejection.
Urban planning must integrate biodiversity, not just tolerate it
The report calls for local governance that combines biodiversity, land conservation, and gentle densification. It emphasizes the role of reference frameworks, particularly in Eco-Neighborhood initiatives, and the need to rethink the place of living systems in planning documents.
👉 The Effinature certificate can become a pivotal tool for this coordination, by creating a common language between project leaders, communities and citizens.
Conclusion
This ONCV 2024 report confirms that biodiversity is no longer a peripheral issue: it is at the heart of citizens' aspirations and future territorial balances.
IRICE is positioning itself to respond to this transition, not through discourse, but through concrete tools: independent reference frameworks, traceable indicators, project support.
📄 Read the full report