What Biotope does

Biotope is a French environmental consulting firm founded in April 1993 in Montpellier and now headquartered in Mèze, France, operating under a société anonyme simplifiée (SAS) structure with 251-500 employees. The firm delivers environmental studies (fauna, flora, and habitat diagnostics), biodiversity consulting linked to CSR and nature-based solutions, professional training, environmental communication, and scientific publishing through its Biotope Éditions arm. Its stated customer base spans private enterprises, local authorities, state services, and NGOs across seven activity sectors: energy, transport, urban planning, extractive industry, water and marine policy, nature management, and agriculture.

The firm's underlying technology stack includes the SonoChiro bat acoustic analysis software, the Actichiro reference database covering over 10,000 listening points across France, the internally developed TRAGUS multi-track intelligent connected recorder, and a national standardised Wetland Evaluation Method co-developed with the Agence Française pour la Biodiversité, MNHN, and Irstea. These tools support regulatory compliance under France's avoid-reduce-compensate biodiversity framework, and the firm is positioned as holding the largest team of ecologists in Europe with a claimed operational reach across six continents and five oceans.

Biotope monetises primarily through professional-services fees across its five service lines, with additional licensing and royalty revenue from Biotope Éditions publications. The business operates a sales-led, direct-consulting model delivered through a network of French agencies and international project offices, including Libreville (Gabon). Its strategic ecosystem includes the Archipel joint venture with Safer de l'Île-de-France for biodiversity compensation land operation, the wholly-owned Fondation Biotope pour la Biodiversité, and a 2025 minority stake in Nat'H for wildlife shelter hardware. In July 2025 the firm announced a corporate rebrand to "Alliance for Nature."

Name

Biotope

Legal name

BIOTOPE

Website

https://biotope.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Biotope is a French environmental consulting firm (founded 1993, 251-500 employees) providing biodiversity studies, regulatory authorisation support, consulting, training, and publishing to enterprises, local authorities, state services, and NGOs across energy, transport, urban planning, mining, water, and agriculture sectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Consulting Services

NAICS

Environmental Consulting Services (541620)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Nature & Biodiversity Reporting (TNFD, natural capital) (EUAHAJAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Nature, Biodiversity & Ecosystem Conservation (BPADALAE), Oceans, Coastal & Marine Resource Management (BPADALAI)

Keywords

• Environmental consulting services
• Biodiversity impact assessment
• Ecological field studies
• Bioacoustic bat monitoring
• Wetland evaluation methodology

Headquarters

HQ city

Mèze

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Environmental Studies: Fauna, flora, and landscape diagnostic missions for obtaining environmental authorization to carry out development projects. Includes avoidance and reduction measures for biodiversity loss and environmental compensation actions.
2. Biodiversity Consulting: Advisory services including biodiversity strategies linked to CSR, labels, standards, nature-based solutions, and environmental payment services.
3. Environmental Training: Training on ecosystem functioning concepts, regulatory tools, statistics, molecular, GIS, and taxonomic tools for ecological transition.
4. Environmental Communication: Communication services using methodological tools and resources for environmental communication, including landscape reading, photographic reports, and design thinking.
5. Publishing (Biotope Éditions): Publishing naturalist and scientific works including reference books on bats, ecology, and species identification guides.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Biotope is a French environmental consulting firm that delivers fauna, flora, and landscape diagnostic studies to support clients in obtaining environmental authorizations for development projects, alongside biodiversity strategy consulting, ecological training, scientific publishing, and environmental communication. The firm operates the largest team of ecologists in Europe and supports projects across energy, transport, urban planning, extractive industry, water/marine policy, nature management, and agriculture sectors for enterprises, local authorities, state services, and NGOs.

Product overview

Biotope is an environmental consulting firm operating as a unified service provider rather than a modular software platform. The company offers five core services: environmental studies (fauna/flora diagnostics, regulatory authorization support, and ecological compensation), biodiversity consulting (RSE strategies, labels, nature-based solutions), environmental training, publishing through Biotope Éditions, and environmental communication. These services are delivered across seven activity sectors: energy, transport, urban planning, mining, water policy, nature management, and agriculture. Key branded offerings include Archipel (biodiversity offset platform joint venture), the Fondation Biotope (corporate foundation for naturalist projects and competitions), and specialized tools Sonochiro (bat acoustic analysis software), Actichiro (bat activity reference database), and Tragus (multipoint connected recorder). The company also organizes the triennial CWW wind energy and wildlife conference.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Biotope Éditions: Publishing division of Biotope that publishes naturalist and scientific books including guides on European bats and other ecological publications.
• Biotope Communication
• Le Club Biotope
• Archipel
• SonoChiro
• Actichiro
• TRAGUS
• Alliance for Nature

Products and services

• Environmental Studies (Études) Fauna, flora, and landscape diagnostic missions delivered to enterprises, local authorities, and state services to support obtaining environmental authorization for development projects, including avoidance, reduction, and compensation measures for biodiversity loss.
• Biodiversity Consulting (Conseil)
• Environmental Training (Formation)
• Environmental Communication
• Biotope Éditions (Publishing)
• Archipel biodiversity offset operator
• SonoChiro acoustic analysis software
• TRAGUS bat recorder
• Wetland Evaluation Method (Méthode d'évaluation des zones humides)
• Fondation Biotope pour la Biodiversité

Quantifiable outcome

• 42% of French financial institution assets held in companies strongly or very strongly dependent on at least one ecosystem service
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments10 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Archipel (Partnership with Safer de l'Île-de-France)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchipel is a partnership between Biotope and Safer de l'Île-de-France, serving as a compensation operator in the Île-de-France region. This structure enables various actors to become owners and/or managers of ecological compensation land, including developers, natural space managers, farmers, or individuals.
• Biotope ÉditionscoreOthersPublishing subsidiary producing naturalist books, scientific works, and reference materials including guides on bats, fish of French Guiana, and European ecology.
• SonoChirocoreTechnology or IntegrationProprietary software developed by Biotope for analyzing bat acoustic recordings. This tool enables professional processing of bioacoustic data collected during bat monitoring studies.
• Biotope CommunicationminorOthersCommunication subsidiary specializing in environmental communication services.
• Agence Française pour la Biodiversité (AFB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to develop standardized wetland evaluation method. AFB (now part of OFB) collaborated with Biotope, MNHN, and Irstea to create the first national standardized method for evaluating wetland ecological functions.
• Muséum National d'histoire Naturelle (MNHN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in developing standardized wetland evaluation method and接收 biodiversity data for the national natural heritage inventory (INPN) under biodiversity law requirements.
• IrsteacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch institute partner in developing the standardized wetland evaluation method for ecological equivalence assessment.
• Agence Nationale des Parcs Nationaux du GabonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGabon national parks agency that financed and collaborated on the underwater naturalist exploration mission in the Gulf of Guinea.
• Nat'HminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBiotope invested capital in Nat'H to accelerate the development of shelters and nesting boxes for wildlife, made in France.
• Le Club BiotopeminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMember club distributing naturalist books and publications from Biotope Éditions.
• Association AileronsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMarine conservation association leading a participatory science program for Giant Devil Ray (Mobula mobular) protection. Biotope Foundation provided financial support for Corsican expedition.
• Office National des Forêts (ONF) GuyaneminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench National Forest Office in French Guiana received funding from Biotope Foundation for production of a tree recognition guide covering over 200 species.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• ERM (Environmental Resources Management): ERM is a global pure-play environmental, health and safety consultancy. It competes directly with Biotope on biodiversity impact assessments, ecological surveys, ESG and nature-related advisory for energy, transport and infrastructure clients.
• Egis Group Environment: Egis is a French-headquartered engineering group with environmental, biodiversity and ecological compensation practices that compete with Biotope on transport, urban planning and energy projects in France and internationally.
• SLR Consulting: SLR is a global environmental and advisory consultancy offering ecology, biodiversity and EIA services to energy, infrastructure and mining clients, comparable in mix and customer profile to Biotope.
• Naturalia Environnement: Naturalia Environnement is a French ecological bureau d'étude providing flora, fauna and habitat studies, regulatory support and ecological engineering, directly comparable to Biotope's French field practice.
• Ecosphère: Ecosphère is a French natural environment consultancy delivering inventories, ecological assessments and regulatory studies for developers and local authorities, closely matching Biotope's project-based services.
• Antéis Groupe: Antéis is a French environmental engineering group active in biodiversity, ecology and environmental permitting, often shortlisted alongside Biotope on infrastructure and urban development tenders in France.

Broad incumbents

• WSP Global Environmental Services: WSP is a global engineering consultancy whose environmental practice delivers EIAs, biodiversity services and permitting support across transport, energy and urban projects, overlapping with Biotope's service lines.
• Arcadis NV Environment: Arcadis provides environmental and sustainability consulting including biodiversity, impact assessment and nature-based solutions for infrastructure, water and cities clients in Europe and globally.
• Ramboll Environment & Health: Ramboll runs a major European environmental practice offering ecological surveys, EIA, biodiversity net gain and nature-based solutions, making it a strong adjacent incumbent in Biotope's home market.
• Bureau Veritas Environmental Testing: Bureau Veritas is a global TIC company with growing biodiversity and ESG service lines, often bundled into multi-country infrastructure compliance mandates alongside local specialists like Biotope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Biotope