What CDC Biodiversité does

CDC Biodiversité is a French mission-driven subsidiary of Groupe Caisse des Dépôts (the public financial institution), established in 2008 and headquartered in Paris with a network of seven regional agencies and satellite offices covering all of metropolitan France and overseas territories. The company develops economic, financial, and scientific tools to finance, measure, and operationalise biodiversity restoration and preservation. It serves three primary customer segments: (1) public and private project developers (aménageurs) required by French law (Article 69 of the 2016 Biodiversity Law) to offset biodiversity impacts, (2) large enterprises and financial institutions pursuing voluntary biodiversity commitments and ESG/CSRD/TNFD reporting, and (3) local and regional authorities (collectivités) integrating biodiversity into urban planning and climate adaptation. Secondary segments include farmers and agricultural cooperatives, real estate developers, and municipal governments.

The company's product portfolio centres on a suite of proprietary biodiversity measurement and management tools. The flagship is the Global Biodiversity Score (GBS), a science-based biodiversity footprint assessment tool built on GLOBIO and EXIOBASE scientific models that translates complex inputs into the MSA.km² metric (Mean Species Abundance per km²) and is used by approximately 40 major enterprises in the Club B4B+. Complementary products include the Indice de Biodiversité Local (IBL) for project-level impact modelling, AgriBEST® for agricultural biodiversity self-assessment (co-developed with La Coopération Agricole Ouest), and Hortilio, a citizen-science mobile application (co-developed with Jaya). The company also operates the Cossure Natural Compensation Site, a 357-hectare restored semi-arid Mediterranean steppe ecosystem in Saint-Martin-de-Crau serving as Europe's first natural compensation bank, and manages the 1,372-hectare A65 Langon-Pau motorway compensation programme through 2066.

The business model combines transaction-based ecological compensation services (sale of compensation units at Cossure or bespoke multi-decade compensation programmes), recurring voluntary contributions through the Nature 2050 programme (€5 per m² restored with monitoring to 2050), subscription-based access to the GBS platform and training programmes (Level 1 and Level 2), and professional services including strategic advisory, field monitoring, and ZAN (Zero Net Artificialisation) training. Structural public funding flows through the Mission Économie de la Biodiversité (MEB), financed by Banque des Territoires since 2006. Distribution is direct-to-client through the regional agency network and a dedicated endowment fund (Fonds Nature 2050), with no intermediary resellers. Pricing is largely quote-based; only the Nature 2050 €5/m² unit contribution and Cossure per-hectare unit pricing are publicly disclosed.

Name

CDC Biodiversité

Legal name

CDC Biodiversité

Website

https://cdc-biodiversite.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

CDC Biodiversité, a French subsidiary of Groupe Caisse des Dépôts, provides ecological compensation services, the Global Biodiversity Score footprint measurement platform, and the Nature 2050 voluntary restoration program to enterprises, public authorities, and financial institutions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Biodiversity Consulting and Ecological Compensation Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Grantmaking Foundations (813211)

akta.pro primary industry

Biodiversity & Habitat Conservation (BPAGAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Biodiversity Conservation & Habitat Banking (AFAMAMAC), Nature & Biodiversity Reporting (TNFD, natural capital) (EUAHAJAM), Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) / No Net Loss Planning & Metrics (EUAHAHAJ), Ecosystem Services & Natural Capital Programs (Water, Biodiversity Credits, PES) (IMAMAJAK), Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAM)

Keywords

• Biodiversity consulting
• Ecological compensation
• Nature-based solutions
• Biodiversity footprint measurement
• Environmental restoration services

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices11 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Ecological Compensation Services: CDC Biodiversité acts as a compensation operator for project developers (public and private) who are legally required to compensate biodiversity impacts under French law (Article 69 of the 2016 Biodiversity Law). Revenue is generated through the sale of Compensation Units at Cossure (offer-based) or through bespoke demand-led compensation programmes. For offer-based compensation, developers purchase units at a fixed price per hectare. For demand-based compensation, fees cover full programme management including environmental assessment, ecological restoration, administrative support, land securing, and long-term monitoring (up to 30-60 years). Over 60 compensation projects have been delivered.
2. Nature 2050 Voluntary Contributions: Nature 2050 is a voluntary biodiversity action programme in which economic actors commit to finance nature-based solutions. Contributing companies pay 5€ per m² of territory restored and adapted to climate change up to 2050. This is a recurring voluntary contribution model beyond regulatory obligations, creating a long-term financing stream for on-the-ground restoration projects.
3. Biodiversity Footprint Assessment (GBS) Platform and Club B4B+: The Global Biodiversity Score platform is offered to enterprises, financial institutions, and public authorities for biodiversity footprint measurement. Revenue is generated through platform access subscriptions and training programmes (GBS Level 1 and Level 2). The Club B4B+ brings together approximately 40 major enterprises and provides a collaborative ecosystem for biodiversity measurement, with membership generating recurring revenue.
4. Advisory, Consulting, and Training Services: CDC Biodiversité provides strategic advisory, field monitoring, and training services to both public and private sector clients. This includes the Biodiversity Performance Contract (CPB) for real estate companies and property managers, strategic accompaniment for biodiversity strategy development, and training courses on biodiversity footprint measurement and Zero Net Artificialisation (ZAN). Training catalogue is accessible via a dedicated platform (catalogue-formations.cdc-biodiversite.fr).
5. Mission Économie de la Biodiversité (MEB) Research Programme: The MEB is financed by the Banque des Territoires (Caisse des Dépôts) since 2006. This is a historical research funding arrangement covering MEB's research, valorization, experimentation and dissemination activities. CDC Biodiversité manages the MEB on behalf of the Banque des Territoires. This constitutes a structural public funding stream rather than commercial revenue.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

CDC Biodiversité is a subsidiary of Groupe Caisse des Dépôts that develops economic levers to finance biodiversity restoration and preservation. It operates ecological compensation services (including the 357-hectare Cossure Natural Compensation Site), the voluntary Nature 2050 climate adaptation programme, and the Global Biodiversity Score (GBS) — a science-based corporate biodiversity footprint measurement platform aligned with TNFD, CSRD and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

Product overview

CDC Biodiversité operates a multi-product portfolio centered on biodiversity conservation and measurement. The core offerings include the Global Biodiversity Score (GBS) platform for measuring organizational biodiversity footprints, the Nature 2050 voluntary action program for climate adaptation and ecosystem restoration, and ecological compensation services including the Cossure natural compensation site and demand-driven compensation solutions. Supporting products include AgriBEST for agricultural biodiversity assessment, Hortilio for citizen engagement in urban gardening, the Indice de Biodiversité Local (IBL) for local project impact analysis, the Contrat de Performance Biodiversité for corporate green space management, and Projets Territoriaux de Biodiversité for territorial-scale compensation. The company also offers training programs on biodiversity footprint measurement. The portfolio is delivered through a network of regional agencies across France, with the Mission économie de la biodiversité supporting research and methodological development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Nature 2050: National action program launched in 2016 to strengthen climate change adaptation and preserve/restore biodiversity through nature-based solutions by 2050.
• Global Biodiversity Score (GBS)
• AgriBEST
• Hortilio
• Indice de Biodiversité Local (IBL)
• Contrat de Performance Biodiversité (CPB)
• Fonds Nature 2050

Products and services

• Global Biodiversity Score (GBS) A science-based corporate biodiversity footprint measurement platform that quantifies an organisation's impact and dependency on biodiversity across the entire value chain (Scope 1, 2, and 3), combining GLOBIO and EXIOBASE models to produce the MSA.km² metric. Targeted at enterprises, financial institutions, and public authorities for ESG, TNFD, CSRD, and SBTN reporting.
• Nature 2050 Programme A national voluntary action programme in which economic actors commit €5 per m² of territory restored and adapted to climate change through 2050, financing nature-based solutions across marine/coastal ecosystems, wetlands, agricultural transitions, ecological continuity, and urban biodiversity.
• Cossure Natural Compensation Site The first Natural Compensation Site in Europe, spanning 357 hectares in Saint-Martin-de-Crau, offering Compensation Units (one per hectare) providing land control, restoration work, ecological management, and 30-year monitoring for biodiversity impact mitigation under French law 2016-1087 (Article 69).
• AgriBEST A digital self-assessment tool co-developed with La Coopération Agricole Ouest that enables farmers to evaluate the biodiversity impact of their agricultural practices and identify improvement pathways.
• Hortilio A digital application co-developed with Jaya that guides gardeners toward biodiversity-friendly practices and provides anonymised territorial biodiversity data to local authorities for green space strategy optimisation.
• Indice de Biodiversité Local (IBL) A scientific method developed with expert partners to analyse and anticipate the local biodiversity impact of development projects from the design phase, used by project developers and public authorities.
• Contrat de Performance Biodiversité (CPB) A long-term turnkey solution for property owners and managers of corporate outdoor spaces to design and implement positive ecological approaches, transforming outdoor areas into biodiversity-supporting environments.
• Projets Territoriaux de Biodiversité (PTB)

Quantifiable outcome

• 128 Nature 2050 projects supported over 10 years, covering 1,112 hectares of intervention area and 13,875+ hectares of total impacted surface
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• RemovallminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 March 2026Press release partnership announced 25 March 2026 between Removall and CDC Biodiversité. Nature of collaboration not detailed in the source beyond press release listing.
• Citizen CapitalminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 February 2026Partnership announced 25 February 2026 between Citizen Capital, FN SAFER, and CDC Biodiversité. Collaboration relates to agricultural or land biodiversity initiatives.
• Parc Astérix & Domaine de ChantillyminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 January 2026Partnership announced 29 January 2026 integrating biodiversity solutions into the Parc Astérix theme park and Domaine de Chantilly estate land management.
• CEREMAminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 November 2025Partnership with CEREMA (public establishment for ecological transition) announced 21 November 2025, likely related to urban biodiversity or ZAN (Zero Net Artificialisation) expertise sharing.
• Hortilio & MGPminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 November 2025Hortilio is co-developed by CDC Biodiversité and Jaya. MGP (Millennium Grande Parade or similar) partnership announced 19 November 2025 in a Hortilio-related press release. Hortilio is a digital application for citizen biodiversity engagement.
• MGP (Mécène et Géants du Paléolithique / unrelated)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 June 2025Lauréats (winners) of MGP-Nature 2050 call for projects announced 5 June 2025. MGP runs an annual call for nature-based projects in partnership with CDC Biodiversité and the Fonds Nature 2050.
• European Investment Bank (BEI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 April 2025Partnership with the European Investment Bank (BEI) announced 27 February 2025 for a joint study on the biodiversity credit market. CDC Biodiversité, BEI, and PwC Luxembourg conducted the 'Scaling Biodiversity Market' study, surveyed 37 French economic actors, and presented findings at the Banque de France in April 2026.
• Chambre d'agriculture Nord Pas-de-CalaisminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 February 2025Partnership signed 25 February 2025 between CDC Biodiversité and the Hauts-de-France Chamber of Agriculture for agricultural biodiversity initiatives.
• Energreen Groupe UEMminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 June 2024Partnership signed 27 June 2024 between CDC Biodiversité and Energreen Groupe UEM, a renewable energy group, for biodiversity integration in energy infrastructure projects.
• JayacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 June 2023Jaya is the co-development partner for Hortilio, the digital application for citizen biodiversity engagement launched 21 June 2023. CDC Biodiversité and Jaya co-developed the application for territorial biodiversity improvement through gardening practices.
• ValoremminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 April 2023Partnership with Valorem ( renewable energy and environmental services company) signed 24 April 2023 for nature-based solution integration.
• SAFER Nouvelle-AquitaineminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 September 2022Framework convention signed 8 September 2022 with SAFER Nouvelle-Aquitaine for land-based biodiversity actions, combining SAFER's land expertise with CDC Biodiversité's ecological restoration capabilities.
• Deloitte FranceminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 24 May 2022Partnership with Deloitte France announced 24 May 2022, likely focused on biodiversity advisory and strategy consulting for corporate clients.
• Office Français de la Biodiversité (OFB)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 February 2022Convention with OFB (French Biodiversity Agency) signed 23 February 2022 for collaboration on biodiversity restoration, monitoring, and nature-based solutions. OFB is a key institutional partner in the Nature 2050 programme steering committee.
• SogepromminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 December 2021Partnership with Sogeprom (real estate development company) signed 8 December 2021 at the SIMI (Salon de l'immobilier professionnel) for biodiversity integration in real estate projects.
• SNC CossurecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 September 2020SNC Cossure is the entity managing the Cossure Natural Compensation Site. CDC Biodiversité acquired the site in 2008 and works with the Ministry of Ecology to maintain and develop the first European natural compensation site in the Crau plain.
• PwC LuxembourgcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPwC Luxembourg co-authored the 'Scaling Biodiversity Market' study with CDC Biodiversité and the European Investment Bank, providing market analysis, survey design, and economic recommendations for structuring the biodiversity credit market.
• La Coopération Agricole OuestcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-development partner for AgriBEST®, the agricultural biodiversity performance tool. La Coopération Agricole Ouest co-developed the digital self-assessment tool with CDC Biodiversité to enable farmers to assess the biodiversity impact of their farming practices.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Biotope: French environmental consultancy specialised in biodiversity inventories, ecological assessment and offset engineering — directly competes with CDC Biodiversité on ecological compensation studies, IBL-style local impact assessments, and biodiversity advisory for public and private developers across France.
• Reforest'Action: France-based reforestation and carbon-biodiversity project developer running a corporate voluntary-contribution platform structurally analogous to Nature 2050 — both monetise per-hectare / per-tree corporate contributions and deploy capital into nature-based restoration projects.
• Carbone 4: French climate and biodiversity consultancy and software publisher (including the Carbon Footprint Platform) — overlaps with CDC Biodiversité on footprint measurement methodologies, CSRD/TNFD advisory, and corporate ESG strategy, and shares the same French enterprise buyer base.
• I Care & Consult: French sustainability and biodiversity consultancy — competes directly with CDC Biodiversité's advisory and strategic accompaniment offering for corporates and public authorities, and is increasingly active in biodiversity footprint and TNFD reporting.

Broad incumbents

• South Pole Group: Global carbon and biodiversity solutions provider with a much broader geographic footprint and portfolio spanning voluntary carbon markets, biodiversity credits, and corporate climate strategy — overlaps with CDC Biodiversité on GBS-equivalent footprint services and Nature-based Solutions project origination.
• ERM (Environmental Resources Management): Global environmental consultancy with deep biodiversity practice — addresses the same CSRD, TNFD, biodiversity strategy and ecological compensation needs as CDC Biodiversité, but at much greater scale and across multiple continents.

Emerging players

• Native: French biodiversity footprint measurement startup using a corporate Scope-1/2/3-style metric — directly competes with GBS for French enterprise biodiversity measurement budgets and benefits from the same CSRD/TNFD regulatory tailwinds.
• Greenly: French ESG measurement SaaS platform extending from carbon into biodiversity footprints — targets the same SME and mid-market French enterprise buyer as GBS and represents a fast-moving software-native competitor.
• Noé: French biodiversity conservation NGO active in corporate biodiversity programmes, citizen science and habitat restoration — addresses overlapping French demand for project holding, conservation partnerships and biodiversity awareness that CDC Biodiversité also serves.

Regional players

• Environment Bank: UK habitat banking specialist creating biodiversity offset units for developers — operates the same habitat-bank business model as Cossure but in the UK regulatory regime, providing a regional benchmark for the offset-bank unit economics.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC6oYzFQs7KB3atgyeACxXbw
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cdc-biodiversite
• Instagraminstagram.com/cdc_biodiversite

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 CDC Biodiversité