Biodiversity certification at the service of local authorities

Why a local authority commits to biodiversity

Local authorities are on the front line of the collapse of the living world and of climate change. They run operations that structure their territory: schools, sports facilities, housing, public-building refurbishments, redevelopment of squares and streets, parks and green spaces. Each of these operations can either deepen soil sealing or become a tangible lever for renaturation. By writing biodiversity requirements into its projects, a local authority acts on assets it directly controls and sets an example for every actor in its territory.

Exemplarity and public procurement

Exemplary public procurement is now expected by residents and financial partners alike. By embedding a biodiversity certification standard into its specifications, works contracts and design competitions, the authority sets a clear, measurable and verifiable level of ambition. It no longer simply states intentions: it asks its project owners and their contractors for results assessed by an independent third party. This approach safeguards public spending and makes environmental commitments enforceable, to the benefit of democratic transparency.

Biodiversity and nature in the city

Bringing nature back into the city is not only about planting trees: it means rebuilding living soils, restoring ecological continuity, supporting ordinary wildlife and managing water as close as possible to where it falls. Effinature precisely assesses these ecological functions on each operation, based on concrete evidence rather than declarations. The authority thus shares a common language with its developers and social landlords to steer the ecological quality of its projects, neighbourhood by neighbourhood.

Climate adaptation, net zero land take and soil unsealing

The Zero Net Land Take objective and adaptation to climate change are redefining how we build and develop. Unsealing schoolyards, greening public spaces, infiltrating stormwater and fighting heat islands are no longer options but necessities. Effinature makes it possible to substantiate these efforts: the standard assesses land sobriety, soil life, water management and the climate comfort of outdoor spaces. Certification becomes a proof tool to demonstrate, with figures to back it up, a territory's renaturation trajectory.

Embedding it in planning documents

A local authority can go beyond a single project by writing the certification requirement into its planning documents: development and programming guidelines, inter-municipal local plans, development charters or agreements with operators. The Effinature standard offers a stable and recognised framework to express these expectations, avoiding subjective criteria. Certified operations feed the monitoring of public biodiversity policies and support the dialogue with the State, water agencies and regional partners.

Accredited third-party proof to objectify commitments

Effinature's strength lies in the independence of the assessment. Certification is issued by IRICE, a certification body accredited by Cofrac (No. 5-0655). A Biodiversity Partner, a qualified ecologist, carries out the field assessment, and IRICE makes the certification decision with full impartiality. This accredited framework, described on the IRICE website, guarantees the authority that its commitments do not rest on self-assessment but on enforceable verification. Effinature is part of the wider toolset run by the NORMAXIS group, from a pre-diagnostic through to a signed certification.

Which standard for which type of operation

Effinature offers standards tailored to the nature of each operation. For a new build (school, facility, housing, office), the NCO standard assesses ecological performance from design to delivery. For a refurbishment or an operation on existing assets, the EVO standard measures the biodiversity gains achieved. For landscaping and outdoor spaces, the HOR standard is dedicated to horticultural and landscape operations. An HVE-type follow-up finally embeds the approach over time. Your technical teams choose the most relevant standard for each project, and a single territory can combine several standards across its various operations.