Conservatoire botanique national méditerranéen

What Conservatoire botanique national méditerranéen does

CBNMed is a French public administrative establishment (établissement public administratif) founded in 1979 and officially agréé as a national botanical conservatory by the Ministry of the Environment in 1990. It operates under the administrative and financial management of the Parc national de Port-Cros (its parent government entity), with which it shares staff on transversal missions. Its statutory mandate covers the continental Mediterranean regions of France — Languedoc-Roussillon, Provence, and Côte d'Azur — and centers on the inventory, monitoring, and conservation of threatened Mediterranean flora and natural habitats. The institution employs 24 staff across three offices (Hyères HQ, Montpellier, Antibes) and serves government agencies (DREAL PACA, DREAL Occitanie, Région SUD, Conseil Départementaux), national parks, conservatoires d'espaces naturels, research institutions (IMBE, INRAE, CIRAD, IRD, Universités d'Aix-Marseille and Montpellier), and the broader naturalist community.

The technology stack is a portfolio of specialized web platforms rather than a unified product. Core platforms include SILENE (a public naturalist data portal jointly operated with CBN alpin and CEN PACA, feeding the SINP national nature information system), INVMED-Flore (an information and exchange platform for invasive exotic plant species in the Alps-Mediterranean region), RESEDA-Flore (a coordination network of ~15 founding conservation and research organizations, created by CBNMed in 2018), SIMETHIS (data management and validation), and an internationally indexed herbarium (Index Herbariorum code HYE) holding over 10,100 specimens of vascular plants, bryophytes, and algae. The Atlas de la Flore patrimoniale de l'Aude is a representative output project that mapped 300 patrimonial plant taxa across the Aude department and integrated 143,000 botanical observations into SILENE. The platforms are differentiated by integration and interoperability with national and European biodiversity information systems rather than by proprietary algorithms.

CBNMed does not operate a commercial revenue model. Outputs (databases, expert assessments, conservation plans, scientific publications) are provided free of charge to public authorities, scientific partners, and citizens. Funding flows from three sources: (1) core public institutional financing from the Ministry of Ecological Transition (Ministère de la Transition écologique) and Région SUD, with agents shared with Parc national de Port-Cros; (2) European project financing via FEDER (Interreg POCTEFA and Marittimo), LIFE, and Horizon Europe, with CBNMed participating in consortia including LIFE PYRENEES4CLIMA (€19.8M total budget, €11.9M EU), GUARDEN (€4.56M), LIFE SEED FORCE (€7.56M), FLORAPYR 3D (€2M, €1.26M FEDER), and ALIEM VIGIL (€1.56M, €1.25M FEDER); and (3) targeted project funding from foundations such as Fondation Prince Albert II. The go-to-market is institutional — direct engagement with DREAL services, regions, departments, OFB, and EU program consortia — rather than sales-led or product-led.

Name

Conservatoire botanique national méditerranéen

Legal name

Conservatoire botanique national méditerranéen

Website

https://cbnmed.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CBNMed is a French public botanical conservatory (founded 1979, agréé 1990) that inventories, monitors, and conserves threatened Mediterranean flora across continental France for government agencies, research institutions, and conservation managers, operating a portfolio of open-access data platforms and an internationally indexed herbarium.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Botanical Conservation Services

NAICS

Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (71219), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (712190), Zoos and Botanical Gardens (71213)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Biodiversity Baseline Studies & Long-Term Monitoring Programs (EUAHAHAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Terrestrial Ecology & Habitat Surveys (EUAHAHAA), Nature & Biodiversity Reporting (TNFD, natural capital) (EUAHAJAM)

Keywords

• Botanical conservation services
• Flora inventory monitoring
• Invasive species management
• Naturalist data platforms
• Heritage flora mapping

Headquarters

HQ city

Hyères

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Public institutional funding: CBNMed is a public administrative establishment (établissement public administratif) under the administrative and financial management of Parc national de Port-Cros. Core operating funding comes from government ministry allocations and public institutional sources, with agents shared with the Parc national de Port-Cros on transversal missions.
2. European project financing: CBNMed participates in multiple EU-funded projects (FEDER, INTERREG, LIFE, Horizon Europe) that provide dedicated project financing. Examples include: LIFE PYRENEES4CLIMA (€11.9M EU funding), FLORAPYR 3D (€1.26M FEDER), ALIEM VIGIL (€1.25M FEDER), GUARDEN (€4.56M total), LIFE SEED FORCE (€7.56M total), SCROPHULARIA (€646K total), and others.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

CBNMed inventories, monitors, and conserves the wild flora and natural/semi-natural habitats of continental Mediterranean France (Languedoc-Roussillon, Provence, Côte d'Azur). It delivers botanical surveys, threat assessments, conservation action plans, and a federated set of publicly accessible information platforms (SILENE, INVMED-Flore, RESEDA-Flore, SIMETHIS, GENMEDA) along with a reference herbarium (HYE) and departmental floristic atlases for use by government agencies, scientific institutions, natural-area managers, and the naturalist community.

Product overview

CBNMed operates as a network of interconnected digital platforms and field-based botanical services rather than a unified software product. The core offerings include INVMED-Flore (invasive species management), RESEDA-Flore (conservation network coordination), SILENE-Flore (naturalist data dissemination), and SIMETHIS (data validation), supported by a physical herbarium with over 10,100 specimens and the Atlas de la Flore Patrimoniale for regional biodiversity mapping.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• INVMED-Flore: Information and exchange platform for invasive exotic plant species (Espèces Végétales Exotiques Envahissantes) in the Alpes-Méditerranée region.
• RESEDA-Flore
• Silene

Products and services

• INVMED-Flore Information and exchange platform for invasive exotic plant species (Espèces Végétales Exotiques Envahissantes - EVEE) covering the Alps-Mediterranean region. Provides management tools, tracking resources, and a contact network for EVEE management professionals and field botanists.
• RESEDA-Flore Network of actors for Mediterranean flora conservation comprising approximately fifteen founding member organizations (national botanical conservatories, natural area conservatories, national parks, research laboratories, and regional biodiversity agencies) that develop reference frameworks and tools for conservation and sustainable management of Mediterranean biodiversity.
• SILENE (Système d'Information et de Localisation des Espèces Natives et Envahissantes) Public portal for naturalist data dissemination enabling access to natural heritage information for management and protection purposes. Co-developed and administered by CBNMed, Conservatoire botanique national alpin, and Conservatoire des espaces naturels PACA; aligned with the SINP framework.
• SIMETHIS Data management and validation portal used by CBNMed for botanical and mycological data, vegetation, and habitat information, contributing to the national nature information system (SINP).
• GENMEDA Network of genetic resource centres for Mediterranean flora comprising 27 members and 4 associate members from 14 countries, working to conserve genetic resources of Mediterranean plants. CBNMed is a founding member.
• Portail documentaire partagé Shared documentary portal jointly operated by CBNMed, Conservatoire botanique national alpin, and Conservatoire botanique national de Corse, providing access to conservation strategies, technical reports, research outputs, and bibliographic documentation.
• Herbier CBNMed (Index Herbariorum: HYE) Reference herbarium with internationally registered Index Herbariorum code HYE, containing over 10,100 preserved specimens (vascular plants, bryophytes, and algae) stored in humidity-controlled conditions using acid-free archival paper in custom-fit cartons organized by family. Consultable by institutions worldwide.
• Atlas de la Flore patrimoniale de l'Aude Departmental floristic atlas project that defined and precisely mapped 300 patrimonial plant taxa in the Aude department, integrating 143,000 botanical observations (53,000 from field surveys and 90,000 from existing records) into the SILENE database for SINP dissemination.

Quantifiable outcome

• 143,000 botanical observations recorded and disseminated via SINP through SILENE (Atlas of Aude project)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

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

• Fédération des Conservatoires botaniques nationaux (FCBN)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1999FCBN was created in 1999 by the Ministry of the Environment to represent the CBN network before public authorities, national and international bodies. CBNMed is part of the network of 12 agréés conservatories and 5 in development. FCBN coordination is led by OFB.
• Parc national de Port-CroscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParc national de Port-Cros provides administrative and financial management for CBNMed, as CBNMed is a public administrative establishment attached to it. Agents of the Parc national and CBNMed work together on transversal missions. This is the primary institutional governance relationship.
• RESEDA-FlorecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRESEDA-Flore is a network created in 2018 by CBNMed bringing together ~15 founding member organizations (botanical conservatories, natural area conservatories, national parks, research labs, regional biodiversity agencies) for Mediterranean flora conservation. CBNMed initiated and administers this network. It develops reference frameworks and tools for conservation and sustainable management.
• GENMEDAmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGENMEDA is a Network of Genetic Resources Centres for Mediterranean Flora sharing the same Mediterranean biogeographic region, with CBNMed as a founding member. It comprises 27 members and 4 associate members from 14 countries contributing to conservation of Mediterranean plant genetic resources.
• Conservatoire botanique national alpin (CBNA)majorTechnology or IntegrationJoint administration of SILENE naturalist data portal (with CBN alpin and CEN PACA) and shared documentary portal (with CBN alpin and CBN de Corse). Deep integration in data infrastructure serving the SINP ecosystem.
• Conservatoire des espaces naturels (CEN) PACAmajorTechnology or IntegrationCo-administrators of SILENE naturalist data portal alongside CBNMed and CBN alpin. Shared development and maintenance of biodiversity information infrastructure for PACA region.
• INRAE (Institut national de recherche pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partnership for ecological studies, biodiversity conservation methodologies, and plant genetic resource research. Part of CBNMed's institutional scientific collaboration network.
• IMBE (Institut Méditerranéen de Biodiversité et d'Ecologie)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch laboratory partnership for Mediterranean biodiversity and ecology studies, contributing scientific expertise to CBNMed's inventory and conservation missions.
• CIRAD (Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner, also serving as lead partner (chef de file) for the Horizon Europe GUARDEN project in which CBNMed participates, focused on biodiversity protection and ecosystem services.
• Université de MontpelliermajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic research partnership contributing to botanical studies, species conservation, and ecological research in the Mediterranean region.
• Institut Agro MontpelliermajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner contributing to botanical and ecological research within CBNMed's scientific network.
• IRD (Institut de Recherche pour le Développement)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partnership contributing to biodiversity studies and conservation science, part of CBNMed's scientific collaboration ecosystem.
• LIFE PYRENEES4CLIMA consortiummajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTransborder climate adaptation project across the Pyrenees involving 7 Pyrenean territories in France, Spain, and Andorra. CBNMed participates as part of the French consortium. Total budget €19.8M with €11.9M EU funding. Duration 2023-2031.
• FLORAPYR 3D consortiummajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTransborder project for monitoring and conserving Pyrenean flora, co-financed by FEDER (Interreg POCTEFA 2021-2027). Budget €2M with €1.26M FEDER funding. Duration 2024-2026.
• Université de GênesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership under the LIFE SEED FORCE project (EU, Italy, Malta, Slovenia) working on conservation of 29 Annex II Habitat Directive plant species. CBNMed and University of Genoa collaborate on two species: Gentiana ligustica and Acis nicaeensis across 4 sites in the Maritime Alps.
• Fédération Aude ClaireminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoordinator of the Atlas de la Flore patrimoniale de l'Aude pilot project (2011-2013), conducted in partnership with CBNMed, SESA, and Ateliers de la Nature.
• INTERREG Marittimo ALIEM VIGIL consortiumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCross-border Italy-France project to limit invasive exotic species diffusion in the Mediterranean. Total budget €1.56M with €1.25M FEDER. Duration 2024-2027.
• Office Français de la Biodiversité (OFB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOFB leads the technical coordination of the national CBN network (FCBN). CBNMed works with OFB on national conservation strategies and regulatory implementation.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• INRAE: INRAE is a major French public research institute on agriculture, food, and environment that partners with CBNMed on ecological and plant genetic resource research. It operates adjacent, enabling research rather than competing on the conservancy mandate.
• Office Français de la Biodiversité (OFB): OFB is the French public agency that leads technical coordination of the CBN network (including CBNMed via FCBN), enforces environmental regulations, and co-funds conservation projects. It is a regulatory and funding counterpart rather than a direct competitor.

Broad incumbents

• Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (MNHN): MNHN is the French national natural history museum with deep expertise in flora, herbarium collections, and biodiversity research. While far broader in scope than CBNMed, it represents a large incumbent with overlapping botanical inventory, herbarium curation, and scientific publication missions.
• Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew: Kew is a globally recognized botanical research and conservation institution operating herbaria, seed banks, and biodiversity informatics platforms. It represents a much larger incumbent with overlapping scientific mandate on plant inventory, conservation, and global flora data.
• Fédération des Conservatoires botaniques nationaux (FCBN): FCBN is the federation created by the French Ministry of the Environment in 1999 to represent the national CBN network. It functions as the umbrella coordinating body for all 12 accredited conservatories including CBNMed, offering broader portfolio-level coverage.

Direct peers

• Conservatoire botanique national de Brest: CBN Brest is one of the 12 accredited French national botanical conservatories and operates the same core mission of flora inventory and conservation in western France. It shares the FCBN network membership and comparable statutory mandate.
• Conservatoire botanique national alpin: CBNA is CBNMed's closest direct peer: it is a fellow nationally accredited French botanical conservatory and jointly co-administers the SILENE naturalist data platform and the shared documentary portal with CBNMed. It addresses the Alpine and continental PACA flora under the same legal mandate.
• Conservatoire botanique national Sud-Atlantique: Another accredited CBN within the French national network, covering the Aquitaine and Poitou-Charentes flora. Operates the same statutory inventory and conservation mission under the same ministry framework.
• Conservatoire botanique national de Corse: CBN Corse is an accredited national botanical conservatory operating under the same statutory framework as CBNMed, focused on Corsican flora. It co-operates the shared documentary portal with CBNMed and CBN alpin, indicating direct operational alignment.

Emerging players

• Naturalis Biodiversity Center: Naturalis is a Dutch biodiversity research center combining a major herbarium with biodiversity informatics. While smaller in geographic scope than Kew, it operates comparable herbarium curation and open biodiversity data platforms that overlap with CBNMed's SILENE-type services.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@CBNMed
• Facebookfacebook.com/CBNMediterraneen
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/conservatoire-botanique-national-m%C3%A9diterran%C3%A9en
• Instagraminstagram.com/cbn_mediterraneen

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Conservatoire botanique national méditerranéen