• Biodiversity & Ecosystems

    A commitment to the preservation of biodiversity
Agir pour le vivant Festival, Arles, 2024
To address the pressing environmental issues that we are faced with today, the Fondation d’entreprise Hermès takes action by supporting projects committed to protecting the living world. The Biodiversity & Ecosystems programme takes a responsible approach to patronage by backing practical initiatives that rely on close collaboration with organisations that have proven expertise and engagement in the environmental field.
The National Nature Reserve of the Massane forest © RNN Massane
The National Nature Reserve of the Massane forest © RNN Massane

The Foundation’s dedication to the environment unfolds through careful gestures and close relationships with the territories in which it operates. Keenly aware that there are many ways to protect biodiversity and to ensure that a sustainable planet can be passed on to future generations, the Foundation has chosen to support a number of targeted projects with proven impact. Structured around four key areas, the Foundation’s support enables all those involved to extend their actions and enhance their effectiveness.

 

Raising awareness of biodiversity

Alongside the Manuterra, learning from the living world programme, the Foundation supports a number of initiatives dedicated to raising awareness and engaging younger generations, who will have an essential role to play in protecting our ecosystems.

These include Vigie-Nature École, a participatory science programme that invites school pupils to collect data on everyday biodiversity in their surroundings, which is subsequently used by researchers. The Écovolonterre project, meanwhile, enables young people aged 16 to 25 from a wide range of backgrounds to take part in ecological fieldwork. On the ground, the non-profit organisation Intelligence verte contributes to the development of student-run co-operative vegetable gardens that encourage the cultivation of healthy and affordable food.

 

Thinking collectively

From philosophical questions to practical reflections, environmental issues lie at the heart of multiple approaches. The Foundation supports two ecological initiatives with a collective and interdisciplinary approach.

Drawing on dialogue between local stakeholders working on the ground and individuals from a wide range of backgrounds involved in environmental action, the Agir pour le Vivant festival seeks to imagine a united and forward-looking society geared towards the protection of the living. Interdisciplinary thinking is also central to the LEAST (Laboratory of Ecology and Art for a Society in Transition) project, which aims to promote grassroots initiatives that encourage change in lifestyle through the sharing of knowledge and the fostering of diversity and inclusion.

"Observacteurs", Vigie-Nature, 2016 © Ophélie Ricci - Natureparif

Supporting grassroots action

The Foundation also supports grassroots projects that explore innovative ways to preserve and restore biodiversity.

This objective is exemplified by Atelier paysan, a “self-build cooperative” that guides the design, manufacture and sharing of tools suited to agroecology. The Patrimoine Naturel et Biodiversité programme similarly brings together initiatives engaged in combatting biodiversity loss and climate change.

 

Promoting research

Finally, the Foundation promotes research into the living world, recognising that its protection requires a deep understanding of the richness of our ecosystems and a close analysis of the effects of climate change that can guide our future actions.

Nowhere is this clearer than at the Massane Forest, a wooded area untouched for 150 years that acts as a veritable open-air laboratory for researchers, thanks to its remarkable biodiversity. The Foundation is supporting an initiative that would grant the forest a new special protection status, Zones de Pleine Naturalité, to encourage the adoption of this concept elsewhere. The Réseau des Zones Ateliers (RZA) seeks to understand the functions of specific geographical zones and support their governance in order to anticipate how they will respond to changes in the global climate. 

Informations

Raising awareness of biodiversity

Vigie-Nature École 
A project steered by the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle (MNHN), France
Supported since 2019 

Écovolonterre 
A project steered by the Unis-Cité non-profit, France
Supported since 2024

Association Intelligence verte 
Blois, France
Supported since 2023

Thinking collectively

Agir pour le Vivant Festival
Arles, France
Supported since 2020

LEAST (Laboratory of Ecology and Art for a Society in Transition) 
Geneva, Suisse
Supported since 2023 

Supporting grassroots action

Atelier Paysan 
France
Supported since 2019

Patrimoine Naturel et Biodiversité
A project steered by the Fondation du Patrimoine, France
Supported since 2024

Promoting research

Massane Forest
A project steered by Fédération des Réserves Naturelles Catalanes Pyrénées‐Orientales, France
Supported since 2021 

Zones de Pleine Naturalité 
A project steered by the Commission Nationale Française pour l’Unesco, France
Supported since 2024 

Réseau des Zones Ateliers 
A project steered by the Fondation CNRS, France
Supported since 2024

Supported projects

See also