Order to protect natural habitats in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes

Natural Habitat Protection Orders aim to specifically protect natural habitats as such, regardless of the presence of protected species through regulatory measures. They will thus make it possible to ensure effective protection of certain rare environments which so far do not benefit from an appropriate legislative tool. Originally proposed by the Grenelle II Act of 2010, the implementation of such a scheme is included in Action 40 of Axis 3 “Protecting and restoring nature in all its components” of the Biodiversity plan of July 2018. Decree 2018-1180 published on 19 December 2018 endorses this scheme and thus completes France’s commitment to the European Commission on the transposition of the “Habitats Directive”. Modelled on biotope protection orders, this regulatory tool makes it possible to establish permanent or temporary prohibitions in order to preserve natural habitats.