Environmental NGOs and ecosystem services in France: strategies of dissemination of the concept and political opportunities
The article deals with the role of environmental organizations in the rapid spread of the concept of ecosystem services in France. From four of them: International Union for Conservation of Nature, France Nature Environnement, Fondation Nicolas Hulot and World Wildlife Fund, the survey first shows how sharing out the tasks between environmental organizations has made faster and easier the spread of the systemic approach promoted by the ecosystem services. At the interface between science, firms and policy-making, environmental NGOs seem to have been key players in the dissemination of the concept. The paper examines how the concept allows them to renew their approaches and their activism and how it offers new opportunities. It finally focuses on the role played by NGOs in agricultural issues.