Aéro Biodiversité

What Aéro Biodiversité does

Aéro Biodiversité is a French non-profit association (loi 1901) founded in 2015, originally under the name Hop! Biodiversité, headquartered in Orly/Paray Vieille Poste near Paris. The organization is dedicated to monitoring and managing biodiversity at airports and aerodromes, serving French aviation operators through scientific assessment, ecological monitoring programs, and a multi-tier certification framework. With approximately 19 employees and a network of 22 permanent naturalists supplemented by seasonal field staff, the association operates as a hybrid scientific body and industry coalition, applying citizen science protocols adapted from the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle's (MNHN) Vigie Nature program to airport contexts.

The core technical offering is the Label aérobio, a 5-level certification framework launched in 2021 and externally validated by Bureau Veritas in 2024, which grades an airport's biodiversity management maturity across management strategy, ecological inventory, monitoring protocols, ecological restoration, and stakeholder engagement dimensions. The certification is supported by underlying monitoring protocols — EPOC for bird strike risk, SPIPoll for pollinators, Vigie-Chiro for bats, and OAB butterfly transects — feeding into a centralized Biodiversity Observation Database containing over 140,000 observations covering more than 4,000 species across partner platforms. Bat acoustic analysis relies on MNHN's Tadarida software for automated call identification.

Revenue is generated through three streams: tiered annual membership dues from airports and aerodromes (founding institutional members include DGAC, Groupe ADP, and Air Corsica), Label aérobio certification fees, and individual donations via the HelloAsso platform (enabled since November 2022). The association partners with 75+ aviation platforms — including Paris-CDG, Paris-Orly, Ajaccio, Bastia, Toulouse-Blagnac, Nice, Perpignan, and Nantes — and the label's integration into France's National Biodiversity Strategy 2030 (SNB3) provides embedded demand among public airport operators. As of 2025, 11 airports had been certified, with an additional 12 awards issued in 2025 representing a historic cohort milestone.

Name

Aéro Biodiversité

Legal name

Aéro Biodiversité

Website

https://aerobiodiversite.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

French non-profit association that monitors and certifies biodiversity management at airports and aerodromes through MNHN-derived citizen science protocols and a 5-level Bureau Veritas-validated certification label, partnering with 75+ aviation platforms.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Paray Vieille Poste

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Association membership fees: Airports and aerodromes pay membership fees to participate in the association and access biodiversity monitoring services, scientific support, and the label certification
2. Individual donations: Since November 2022, individual donations accepted via HelloAsso platform
3. Label certification fees: Airports pay for the label certification process which includes independent external verification, scientific committee audit, and on-site visits

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Aéro Biodiversité is a French non-profit association (loi 1901) founded in 2015, headquartered in Paray Vieille Poste, France (co-located with the DGAC), that evaluates, improves, and promotes biodiversity at French airports and aerodromes. The association delivers field-based biodiversity assessments using citizen science protocols (bird, bat, pollinator, raptor, and butterfly monitoring) and awards the five-level Label aérobio certification to recognize and improve the ecological performance of airport sites.

Product overview

Aéro Biodiversité is a non-profit association (French law 1901) that offers a comprehensive ecosystem of products and services for airport biodiversity management. The core offering centers on the 'aérobio' certification label with five progressive levels, which evaluates airports on biodiversity preservation, staff involvement, communication, and territorial anchoring. Supporting this are standardized citizen science protocols (EPOC for birds, SPIPoll for pollinators, Vigie-Chiro for bats, raptor perch monitoring, and butterfly transects) that enable systematic biodiversity monitoring. The association maintains a scientific database of 140,000+ observations across 4,000+ species and provides professional ecological assessment services through a team of trained naturalists. All methodologies are validated by an independent scientific committee from MNHN and partner institutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Label aérobio Five-level certification label that evaluates and recognizes the biodiversity performance of airports and aerodromes, ranging from initial engagement through to full ecological integration.
• EPOC (Enquête Participation Observation Citoyenne) Citizen-science bird observation protocol deployed at airport sites to collect standardized avian occurrence data over time.
• SPIPoll (Suivi Photographique des Insectes Pollinisateurs) Pollinator insect photographic monitoring protocol deployed at airport green spaces to track wild bee and other pollinator diversity.
• Vigie-Chiro Point Fixe Fixed-point bat acoustic monitoring protocol deployed at airport sites to record chiropteran activity and species presence.
• Raptor Perch and Pellet Program Program installing raptor perches (poteaux à rapaces) at airport sites and analyzing regurgitation pellets to monitor raptor presence and diet.
• Butterfly Transect (Transect papillons) Transect-based butterfly monitoring protocol deployed at airport sites to track lepidopteran diversity and abundance.
• Biodiversity Assessment Services On-site field assessment services conducted by the team of naturalists (chargés d'études naturalistes) to inventory flora and fauna, evaluate ecological conditions, and produce reports informing Label aérobio certification.

Quantifiable outcome

• 140,000 observation data points collected over 10 years
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Direction générale de l'Aviation civile (DGAC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Founding member of the association. DGAC supports the approach as aviation safety and biodiversity protection are complementary - balanced ecosystems prevent wildlife proliferation that creates aviation hazards. Provides institutional support and headquarters facilities.
• Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (MNHN)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Founding scientific partner. Provides access to Vigie Nature protocols, scientific credibility, and expertise. MNHN researchers participate in the Scientific Committee. Joint development of citizen science methodologies adapted for airport environments.
• Groupe ADP (Aéroports de Paris)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Member of rights representing major French airport operator. Participates in biodiversity monitoring at Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Paris-Orly, Paris-Le Bourget, and other ADP airports.
• Air CorsicacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Regional airline member committed to preserving island ecosystems. Particularly engaged in protecting Corsican natural environment through airport biodiversity initiatives.
• Fédération Française Aéronautique (FFA)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAviation federation representing general aviation interests. Joined 2020 to support aerodromes in biodiversity protection and defense against airport closure threats.
• Régions de France (Normandie, Bretagne)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerRegional councils supporting airport biodiversity initiatives within their territories, providing funding and institutional endorsement.
• Chambre de Commerce et d'Industrie de Corse (CCIC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChamber of commerce supporting Corsican airports (Ajaccio, Figari, Calvi) biodiversity programs.
• Aéroports Français Associés (AFA)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAssociation of French airports representing collective interests and promoting biodiversity practices.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Bureau Veritas: Global testing, inspection, and certification (TIC) firm that audited and validated the aérobio label process in 2024. Comparable as a third-party environmental verification provider, but operates across all industries rather than specializing in airport biodiversity, and would be a natural partner or potential substitute auditor for any future aérobio-style scheme.
• BirdLife International: Global partnership of national bird-conservation organizations with a strong citizen-science and habitat-monitoring methodology portfolio. Comparable scientific approach to Aéro Biodiversité's EPOC program but operates globally and across all habitats rather than specializing in airports.
• IATA Environmental Assessment (IEnvA): IATA's independently assessed environmental certification program for airlines and aviation operators. Compares to Aéro Biodiversité as a sector-specific sustainability certification scheme within aviation, though IEnvA is broader in scope (covering airlines and ground operations) and is run by an industry association rather than a specialist non-profit.
• SGS: One of the world's largest testing, inspection, and certification firms, with a significant environmental services practice including biodiversity and ESG assurance. Comparable to Bureau Veritas as a potential validator or substitute for Aéro Biodiversité's certification process, though SGS is far broader and not specialized in airport biodiversity.

Direct peers

• LPO (Ligue pour la Protection des Oiseaux): France's largest bird-protection NGO, running citizen-science bird-monitoring programs (similar in spirit to Aéro Biodiversité's EPOC protocol) and engaging volunteers in biodiversity data collection. Comparable mission and methodology, though LPO's scope is general (all habitats) rather than airport-specific.
• Airport Carbon Accreditation (ACI Europe): The leading sustainability certification program specifically for airports, run by Airports Council International Europe. Directly comparable to Aéro Biodiversité's aérobio label — same sector (airports), same model (multi-level certification with external audit), same GTM (voluntary industry standard), but focused on carbon rather than biodiversity.
• Noé Conservation: French biodiversity NGO running corporate and public-sector biodiversity programs, including citizen-science monitoring and habitat certification. Comparable as a French non-profit monetizing biodiversity expertise through partnerships, though without the airport specialization that defines Aéro Biodiversité.
• EcoPorts: Environmental management standard for European ports operated by the European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO). Same concept as aérobio — a sector-specific, multi-level environmental certification with PERS (Port Environmental Review System) — but applied to ports rather than airports, demonstrating the model Aéro Biodiversité uses is portable across transport-infrastructure subsectors.

Regional players

• Réserves Naturelles de France: Federation managing France's network of national nature reserves, with deep experience in biodiversity assessment, habitat management protocols, and stakeholder engagement. Comparable in operating model (French non-profit with scientific committee) but focused on protected-area management rather than transport-infrastructure biodiversity.

Others

• Vigie Nature (Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle): The French national citizen-science biodiversity program run by MNHN, whose protocols Aéro Biodiversité adapted for airport use. Comparable as a biodiversity-monitoring methodology owner, but is a public research program rather than a commercial entity; it is also Aéro Biodiversité's founding scientific partner.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/AeroBiodiv
• Facebookfacebook.com/aero.biodiversite
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/a%C3%A9ro-biodiversit%C3%A9

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Aéro Biodiversité