France, Dec. 10 -- The report warns of a collapse in biodiversity in the country due to the degradation of natural habitats, yet it says the outcome "is not inevitable", as protective measures have been shown to be effective in restoring wildlife in remarkable and measurable ways.

Across France, from farmland to coastlines, habitat destruction, the use of pesticides, pollution and over-fishing have driven the decline of many species.

Intensive agriculture

More than 70 percent of hedges around the country have been removed as part of an expansion of intensive agriculture, and half of wetlands - some of the most biodiverse ecosystems - have vanished. Nearly 80 percent of the country's forests are less than 100 years old, and coastal and ...