WWF: 10 recommendations to ensure that conservation easements (ORE) ‘scale up’ in France

"Real environmental obligations (ORE / France's equivalent of conservation easements) have proved their worth. However, their uptake still appears limited given the challenges of biodiversity conservation,” states a report on this scheme, published by WWF in collaboration with PatriNat, a public research centre on natural heritage, on 28 September 2026.

These environmental easements were introduced by the 2016 French Law on the Restoration of Biodiversity. They enable a landowner, by contract, to set out commitments aimed at preserving or restoring the biodiversity of a plot of land, even in the event of a change of ownership.

According to a study carried out in 2026, 503 OREs were identified, covering at least 17,161 hectares — “even if this count is not exhaustive”.

The main challenge for…