Forest management in a French Natura 2000 conservation site: integrating or keeping environmental standards at a distance?

• French forest owners were strongly opposed to Natura 2000 twenty years ago, but have gradually adopted biodiversity-friendly forest management practices. • They now consider Natura 2000 sites to be places where new environmental standards can be tested and incorporated. • Contracts and charters are not necessary to incentivise forest owners to preserve biodiversity in Natura 2000 sites. • However, the positive impact of environmental regulations appears to be confined to Natura 2000 sites. While biodiversity issues are increasingly recognised, their implementation can sometimes be contentious, particularly within forest ownership, as seen with the Natura 2000 network. The low uptake of Natura 2000 charters and contracts makes it difficult to ascertain the actions of landowners in these protected forest areas. To investigate the behaviour of forest owners in such areas, we conducted semi-directive interviews and a quantitative survey using a closed-ended questionnaire in the Ciron Valley (Gironde, France), which is renowned for its beech forests relics considered as refugia of the last glacial period. Data analysis combining discourse analysis and statistical methods (variable classification and hierarchical ascending classification) revealed six typical behavioural profiles. Three of these reflect a voluntary pro-environmental commitment that can be attributed to ethical, practical, or economic motivations. These groups view the Natura 2000 area as a laboratory for testing environmental and forestry transition paths. The other three groups do not feel strongly compelled by the Natura 2000 environmental regulations, viewing them primarily as binding obligations. Despite their initial hostility towards the Habitats Directive in the 2000 s, a sense of belonging to, and a collective defence of, the site is now emerging. The appropriation of the site reflects real changes in pro-environmental behaviour, as well as the strategic use of its protected status. The focus of the debate has shifted, with discussions now centring on the most appropriate types of environmental action and their relevance within broader contexts, such as climate change mitigation.