A vast control operation was carried out Thursday and Friday in Sologne. Objective: to ensure good knowledge and application of the law aimed at limiting high fences in natural areas, to better protect ecological continuity and biodiversity, the French Biodiversity Office announced on Friday.
This law, which notably prohibits fences exceeding 1.20 meters, was adopted in February 2023 but was the subject of protests from forest owners, who had filed a priority question of constitutionality (QPC) before the Council of ‘State. The Sages finally validated it in October 2024.
“Wildlife survival” in danger
The control operation was carried out by OFB agents in coordination with the prefecture of the Centre-Val-de-Loire region, with the support of gendarmes and the Departmental Directorate of Territories (DDT).
According to the law, owners wishing to enclose their land located in natural areas and more than 150 meters from a home must make a prior declaration. Furthermore, in addition to their limited height, fences must be placed 30 cm from the ground and made of natural or traditional materials. They must “allow the free movement of wild animals at all times” and must not harm or constitute traps for wildlife, specifies the OFB.
These high fences and meshes “fragment habitats already weakened by urbanization, endangering the survival of wildlife. They also cause injuries, increase the risk of fires by blocking emergency access, and compromise the renewal of our forests,” underlined the director general of the OFB.
Exceptions provided by law
Several exceptions are nevertheless provided for by law, for training or testing parks for hunting dogs, horse breeding, agricultural or forest regeneration activities, national or national defense domains, etc.
“I would like to reaffirm the State’s commitment to fight against the encroachment of forests” which adds “additional pressure on biodiversity”, underlined the Minister of Ecological Transition, Agnès Pannier-Runacher, assuring that the services of the State are “fully mobilized to enforce” the law. Owners have until January 1, 2027 to make the necessary adjustments.
In Sologne, the length of fences would have increased from 600 km in 2011 to nearly 4,000 km in 2019, an increase sixfold in less than a decade, indicates the OFB. Since the promulgation of the law in February 2023, 90 reports of offenses have been recorded in Centre-Val-de-Loire, giving rise to 13 legal proceedings.
