Designated terrestrial protected areas

In France, the proportion of land area covered by terrestrial protected areas has been growing steadily since 2016. This increase is the result of several actions: the 2018 implementation of natural habitat protection orders aimed at preserving emblematic natural spaces, such as the Mont Blanc massif, and the adoption, in 2021, of the national protected areas strategy.

In 2025, 28.0% of the French metropolitan territory is covered by terrestrial protected areas (31.3% with overseas departments and regions, and overseas communities), compared with 23.9% in 2016. France thus exceeds the European target of 30% coverage by 2030. Despite achieving the protection objective, France intends to maintain its policy of natural space conservation by including new land-based protection tools such as sensitive natural spaces, and by creating 50 biological reserves by 2030 within forest environments.

Moreover, as the world’s second largest maritime domain, France has a responsibility to protect maritime spaces. As of 2024, 11.8% of the world’s marine protected areas were French. Some 95% of marine protected areas are in overseas territories.