1. National diagnosis: an ecosystem in transition, but still fragmented

The report observes that the French Office for Biodiversity (OFB) has undergone a substantial transformation since 2020, bringing together distinct professional cultures and strengthening its territorial presence. The results are tangible in terms of environmental enforcement, natural history knowledge, and institutional support.

But for local authorities, several structural limitations remain:

• unequal visibility of the devices,
• heterogeneity of support services,
• absence of structured assessments,
• lack of comparable methods between territories,
• dependence on the quality of service providers in local processes.

This fragmentation creates a situation where intentions are numerous, diagnoses exist, but trajectories remain difficult to steer.

2. ABC, TEN, ARB: useful frameworks, but not sufficient to guide action

The report analyzes in detail the municipal biodiversity atlases (ABC), the Territories Committed to Nature (TEN) initiatives and the role of the Regional Biodiversity Agencies (ARB).

Key findings:

• ABC remains a photography tool, not a trajectory tool.
• The steps taken often remain sporadic, with little follow-up over time.
• Ex ante/ex post evaluations are rare and heterogeneous.
• The ABCs should primarily be inter-municipal, because the ecological issues (corridors, networks, pressures) exceed the municipal scale.
• The ARBs have very different levels of maturity, without national assessment.

These limitations prevent the creation of a common framework for comparing territories and guiding homogeneous policies at the regional level.

3. A clear expectation: standardize, measure, demonstrate

The IGEDD–CGAAER explicitly calls for:

• strengthen localized assessments of ecosystem services,
• structure the action plans,
• standardize the methods
• to professionalize the support provided to local authorities,
• to further integrate the results into urban planning (SCoT, PLU, PCAET),
• to produce indicators that can be reproduced on a national scale.

This expectation corresponds exactly to the core business of an independent organization.

4. Why an independent framework becomes the missing piece

For a territorial biodiversity policy to be manageable, three conditions are essential:

1. Independent governance

The strict separation between the method, its application, and the analysis of the results guarantees the neutrality necessary for public decision-making. The ISO/IEC 17065 standard formalizes this independence.

2. A stable, reproducible and controllable method

Without standardization, two regions cannot compare their results. Without dynamic evaluation, a trajectory cannot be steered. Without independent oversight, results cannot be presented to funders or integrated into planning.

3. The ability to convert a diagnosis into an ecological trajectory

This is where the methodological break lies: communities are not just asking for a snapshot, but for a measurable improvement framework, compatible with regional strategies and the operational constraints of projects.

IRICE is situated precisely in this space: that of proof, comparability and independence.

5. Effinature and BPS: two tools aligned with the needs expressed in the report

The report calls for more dynamic, systematic, and measurable approaches. Effinature and the Biodiversity Performance Score (BPS) directly address these expectations.

Effinature: a certified trajectory

• analysis of ecological pressures and functions,
• requirements for continuity, habitats and integrated management,
• trajectory from the market phase to delivery,
• Independent ISO/IEC 17065 control
• national comparability.

Effinature bridges the gap identified by the IGEDD: that between an initial diagnosis and a requirement for results.

Biodiversity Performance Score (BPS): a localized and standardized assessment

• reproducible indicators,
• compatibility with Efese for socio-economic development,
• ex-ante/ex-post measure that can be implemented by local authorities,
• possible integration into urban planning documents and action plans,
• homogenization of inter-municipal procedures.

The BPS provides the methodological building block that the report calls for: a tool to transform a diagnosis into a territorial trajectory.

6. A direct contribution to the OFB's 2026–2030 priorities

The report establishes three strategic directions for the next COP:

1. preserve and restore life,
2. to advance knowledge,
3. mobilize stakeholders.

IRICE's tools are designed to support:

• structuring of local analyses,
• evaluation of the actual effects of policies,
• measurement of ecosystem services,
• standardization of practices between communities.

They allow the ARBs, regions, departments and EPCIs to obtain a stable, comparable and sustainable framework, without complicating existing procedures.

7. Concrete benefits for local authorities

With an independent framework, local authorities can:

• to make their ABCs truly operational,
• prioritize biodiversity investments,
• to objectify the expected gains,
• to ensure the ecological compatibility of projects,
• align their actions with regional strategies,
• strengthen the credibility of their actions with citizens and partners.

Independent governance becomes the tool that allows us to move from will to structure.

Conclusion

The IGEDD–CGAAER report highlights an evolving institutional landscape that still lacks a framework for measurement, comparability, and territorial coherence. Local authorities must now demonstrate the effectiveness of their actions, not simply document them. This is precisely what an independent third-party organization compliant with ISO/IEC 17065 enables.

Effinature and the BPS provide the methods, indicators, and rigor that transform a local diagnosis into an ecological trajectory. In a period where biodiversity is becoming a structuring public policy issue, this independence is no longer an advantage: it is a condition of effectiveness.

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