Biodiversity is now integrated upstream in urban projects. For project owners and investors, environmental labels are no longer a matter of communication but of value strategy.
Certification, a lever for arbitration in land matters
The introduction of legally binding environmental indicators (open ground coefficients, green infrastructure, etc.) makes certification essential in development projects. Effinature, mandated by several Local Urban Development Plans (PLUi), is emerging as a tool to aid land-use planning decisions: differentiation, prioritization, and securing land use.
Reference frameworks that become normative
The recognition of IRICE by COFRAC and its integration into urban planning documents (Est Ensemble, Grand Paris Sud, Toulouse Métropole) is shifting certification from a voluntary register to a quasi-normative standard. The challenge is no longer to comply, but to stay ahead.
A response to pressure on usage
Faced with the challenges of zero net land use and the increasing complexity of land-use regulations, biodiversity is becoming a negotiating factor: conversion, densification, compensation. Certification makes it possible to objectify these approaches and make them more palatable to local authorities.
Conclusion
Environmental performance is no longer a mere afterthought. It has become a prerequisite for economic and regulatory viability. Arkoris supports this evolution with certification engineering grounded in real-world land realities.