In France, land consumption in 2023 is the lowest recorded in fifteen years

Consumption of natural, agricultural and forest areas (Enaf) in 2023 is the lowest recorded in France since 2009, according to data from the Centre for Studies and Expertise on Risks, the Environment, Mobility and Planning (Cerema) published a few days ago.

In 2023, 19.263 hectares of natural spaces were consumed, down 4,8% compared to 2022, the lowest consumption recorded since the first measurement was carried out in 2009.

Since 2019, the trend has been towards a "stabilization of the rate" around 20.000 ha, but this rate "remains high", observes the public establishment, which publishes a count each year for the Ministry of Regional Planning using data from property tax.

Between 2011 and 2023, more than 297.000 hectares were consumed, which corresponds to the surface area of Reunion Island.

In ten years, construction efficiency has increased by 30%, "one hectare consumed in 2021 allowing the construction of 2.435 m2 of buildings in 2021, compared to 1.950 m2 in 2011", the result of "growing efforts in recycling and urban densification", underlines Cerema.

However, 64% of natural spaces consumed since 2011 have been for housing, 23% for economic activities and 7% for infrastructure.

It should be noted that 60,7% of this land consumption is located in small municipalities and in municipalities with sufficient housing supply. Taken together, "small projects of 2 to 3 hectares thus contributed significantly to national consumption," the authors observe.

The remaining 38% corresponds to the second ring of cities and the coasts.

Concreted soils are the main driver of biodiversity loss. They contribute to climate change and accelerate its effects, as natural soils act as carbon sinks and water filters.

Awareness of the importance of soils led to the adoption of the "Climate and Resilience" law in 2021, which set the objective of achieving land sobriety by 2050, or "zero net artificialization of soils" (ZAN), with an intermediate objective of halving the consumption of natural spaces (Enaf) by 2031 compared to the previous decade.

In March, the Senate adopted a text on first reading that significantly relaxes the rules for combating urban sprawl, sparking criticism from a section of the left and environmental associations.

The text has not yet been included on the agenda of the National Assembly.

Illustrative image of the article via Depositphotos.com.