La nature n’est pas à vendre !

A statement by Friends of the Earth International and 136 other organizations opposing biodiversity offset mechanisms, which they argue treat nature as a tradable commodity and facilitate unsustainable development.

• In response to the World Natural Capital Forum held in Edinburgh from November 21-22, 2013, 136 organizations issued a declaration opposing biodiversity offsets and held a counter-forum on the commons.
• The document argues that biodiversity offsets—where companies pay to restore or protect one area to compensate for the destruction of another—are flawed because biodiversity is linked to specific human and cultural landscapes and cannot be exchanged like a supermarket product.
• There is a risk that biodiversity offsets create a new speculative market for financial institutions and banks seeking new investments amid the ecological crisis and increasing demand for energy and natural resources.
• The statement claims companies use offset mechanisms to avoid stricter legislation and undermine local opposition to projects. In France, the document notes that the Parliament will face a choice regarding a biodiversity law in spring 2014 between enabling offsets or strengthening frameworks to block destructive projects.
• The document highlights the global nature of this trend, specifically citing Brazil, where the government and the development bank BNDES are promoting policies that allow companies to compensate for impacts rather than prevent damage, leading to violations of indigenous peoples' rights.
• The signatory organizations propose managing nature as a common good rather than a market asset, emphasizing democratic management and the priority of rights for dependent local communities.

APA

admin (2013). La nature n’est pas à vendre ! Friends of the Earth International. https://www.foei.org/fr/la-nature-nest-pas-a-vendre/

Chicago

admin. La nature n’est pas à vendre ! Friends of the Earth International, 2013. https://www.foei.org/fr/la-nature-nest-pas-a-vendre/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=admin |title=La nature n’est pas à vendre ! |publisher=Friends of the Earth International |date=17 December 2013 |url=https://www.foei.org/fr/la-nature-nest-pas-a-vendre/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{admin2013nature, author = {admin}, title = {{La nature n’est pas à vendre !}}, publisher = {Friends of the Earth International}, year = {2013}, month = dec, url = {https://www.foei.org/fr/la-nature-nest-pas-a-vendre/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }