France
France is the 3rd largest country in Europe, and lies in the west. As such, historically virtually all predators were hunted to extinction quite some time ago.Â
Bears were the only one that survived into the modern day. This animal survived in the Alps until the 1930s when it was lost. Unfortunately a similar thing was on the verge of happening to the other French bear population in the Pyrenees. While there are now 76 bears in the Pyrenees (split between France and Spain) this is only as a result of translocation of bears from Slovenia – as the original bears of the area were on the verge of extinction.
Wolves, similarly were lost back in the 1930s but returned silently from Italy back in the 1990s. Despite being unwelcome by many, the greater proportion of the population was pleased of their return. While it makes livestock farmers jobs more complex, it also allows an apex predator to help balance the population, which allows the ecosystem to work properly.
Their stronghold is in the far south west, though they have also spread north with some small areas where they are known to be resident in the north east of the country. They are also listed as occasionally sighted across a band of the middle of the country, and a few have travelled across the south of the country to settle in the Pyrenees. There are thought to be around 16 wolves living on the Spanish side of the border. Given the regular sightings, it is likely that the French population is similar in size.
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Help us build up a map of where wildlife has been seen. Add any sightings of mammals that you encounter. As this map starts to be used, we will greatly reduce how long sightings remain free for anyone to see, so that hunters and poachers cannot use this as a resource. The idea is that over time we can build up an idea of exactly where we should look for them.
France has decreed that every carpark with more than 80 car spaces must have a solar canopy
Across France this is around 11gigawatts, or over the year almost 10 terawatt hours of electricity generation per year. This is a very sensible idea, as it is a second use of the land. In the south of England, there are now 2000 panels placed over car parking spaces. These offer a capacity of almost …
Wolves continue their spread in France, now department of Lot
The most recent estimate, puts the French wolf population on about 620 in the country. They have recently moved into the department of Lot which lies just a few miles north of Toulouse. Given the growing population of wolves in France, it would be ridiculous to kill these wolves, as others will replace them pretty …
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Wolf encounter in France (not mine unfortunately)
I have had an encounter with a wolf – perhaps 100m distant, and no reaction to my presence. I have also watched a wolf from the safety of a bear hide. I have even listened to the eery sound of a wolf howl, both within an English zoo (late at night) and more excitingly from …
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Return of the bear wolf and lynx to France and western Europe
The recovery of wolves bears and lynx over the last several generations in western Europe has been nothing short of astounding. In the 1960s the population of the iberian wolf did not number more than a few hundred, yet now there are 2500. Similarly, bears got very low but now more than 300 roam – …
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Montpelier a city in France realized its error, and dropped an order for 51 hydrogen buses for electric instead
Montpelier had set aside $33 million for this project, over 2 years. This decision was made, after local officials realized that electric buses would be 6 times cheaper to run. This price included the building of a plant to make the hydrogen. In terms of cost, it was estimated that the buses (for which the …
20 meat and dairy firms emit more greenhouse gas than Germany Britain or France
We know that meat eating is one of the activities that has a detrimental effect on the environment. Not only that, but we know that much of the meat is created in factory settings the pollution can be particularly high. Livestock rearing is responsible for around 14.5% of human warming emissions. in 2020 almost half …
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Wolves continue to spread across France
It has been confirmed! An animal seen in Calvados, France was a male wolf. They have not been seen in this part of France for over 100 years.
First wolf sighting in northern France in 100 years
Before the Italian wolves started crossing back into France from Italy, they had been missing since the 1930s. However, France is a sparsely population country- its population is similar to the UK but in a country about 4 times bigger. The wolf population has grown at a good rate for the last 25 years and …
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Couple who tried to buy a Savannah cat in France, instead were giving a Sumatran tiger cub
Savannah cats are a cross between a domestic cat and a serval. On the left is a savannah cat, on the right is a serval cat. A serval cat is a cat species, that stands a bit taller than a normal domestic cat. They live in the savannas of the world and hunt mostly by …
Wild boar numbers have spiked in France during the coronavirus shut down
In France boar are shot by hunters, and the hunters are paid by farmers so that the damage done to their crops is kept under control. Over the last five years the number for has increased dramatically and it’s now thought they are about 2 million within the borders of France. This is partly down …
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Europe is heading towards it net zero goal but electric car costs might be a stumbling block
While an increasingly large number of people are switching to electric cars, there is a growing concern that this change is not happening fast enough. Currently the EU sells 10 times more electric cars than just 6 years ago, which is impressive, so what is the concern. For many people, they believe that their next …
UK could quit ‘Climate wrecking’ treaty’ – encouraging, must see more
The treaty in question is called the Energy Charter Treaty, and apparently if changes are not made by November we will look at exiting. What is in this egregious rules? Well, it would be run with a system of secrets of courts, and it would allow a company to sue any signature country should they …
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European farmers are suggesting that wolves have recovered too much, is that true?
There is heavy pressure to end wolf protection in the EU because farmers are suggesting that they have recovered to too great a degree.
Wolves have returned to Belgium after 100 years
Estimates vary, but it is thought that 15-20 wolves are in the country. This is made up of 1 pack in Flanders, and another in Southern Wallonia as well as a newly settled pair (this pair is likely to become a pack if allowed to survive). Across the border in France and Germany, numbers are …
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Wolves in the Alps are growing fast – 25% up in one year
The alps are essentially the centre of western Europe, while the Carpathians are the centre of eastern europe.
Wolves, Bears and white tailed eagles are making great comebacks across Europe and other species are also doing well
Wolf numbers have increased by 1800% since the 1970s with a total of over 17,000 now inhabiting the continent. Bears started from a less precarious place, but have still increased by 44% over the same period Among herbivores, beavers are one of the big success story (and unlike many of the others are living in …
Linking bear and wolf populations across Europe is the best way to preserve them longterm – is this possible?
The Pyrennes in the south west of France, and the corresponding area across the border, are a wonderful area of wilderness. There are currently about 64 bears living in this area. So where are we on the road to recovery? Were the the entire Pyrennes mountains wild, it is thought that these mountains could support …
Rich countries continue to fail to live up to pledge of $100 billion dollars a year to poor countries to help climate mitigation
The worlds international deals of all kinds rely on countries doing what they promise, though it is true that if a small country promises a big country, then the big country can make them fulfil their pledge. What should happen here? It is by definition the case, that the poor countries are those that has …
What to do for a holiday, when you are concerned about planes in the time of COVID
Whether, you are short of money, fearful of air travel in the time of COVID or too concerned about your carbon footprint to take this method, there are still a substantial number of destinations within a long drive of the UK, where you can see wildlife. If you live in Europe instead, you can find …
KLM taken to court over claims which campaigners claim are misleading – What do you think? Can flights ever be carbon neutral, and how do they compare to other transport?
If an airline promises to remove all the carbon, that your flight emits, from the air – is your flight carbon neutral? Well, in theory it will eventually be. However There are a number of issues with this. Firstly, you rely on accounting of carbon that is totally honest (something that has not been the …