Green Assist: experimenting biodiversity certificates in Seine-Normandy wetlands

Testing certification approaches for nature-positive actions in the Seine-Normandy basinWetlands provide critical services for people and nature, such as water purification, flood control, carbon storage, and biodiversity support. Yet they continue to decline due to pollution, land-use change, and climate pressures. Against this backdrop, a pilot initiative coordinated by the French Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Seine-Normandy Water Agency is exploring how biodiversity certificates might offer a new pathway for supporting and recognising voluntary conservation efforts.The project focuses on a range of wetland sites within the Seine-Normandy basin. It tests whether biodiversity-friendly actions, such as restoration, low-intensity grazing, and the conservation of semi-natural habitats, can be measured and validated under a certification process. The objective is not to create a tradable asset, but rather to explore how certification might serve as a signal of environmental benefit and thus a building block for incentive schemes.Through this pilot, local stakeholders, including farmers, land managers, and public authorities, are invited to participate in a collaborative effort to develop operational knowledge on biodiversity monitoring, baseline setting, and verification practices adapted to wetland contexts.How Green Assist contributedGreen Assist provided targeted expertise to support the early design of the pilot. Green Assist experts contributed to:Clarifying...