Société herpétologique de France

What Société herpétologique de France does

The Société herpétologique de France (SHF) is a French non-profit association (association loi 1901) founded in 1971 and headquartered at the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle in Paris. It is the only national nature protection association in France entirely dedicated to reptiles and amphibians, operating as a learned society that federates a network of 300+ members, regional coordinators across all French metropolitan regions and overseas territories, and a salaried team of 9-10 staff executing conservation, training, and research programs. SHF coordinates five National Action Plans (Cistude d'Europe, Lézard ocellé, Vipères de France hexagonale 2025-2030, and Iguane des Petites Antilles), two flagship citizen science monitoring programs (POPAmphibien and POPReptile) built on the GeoNature open-source biodiversity data platform, and public engagement campaigns including undragon.org and SOS serpents, tortues et grenouilles.

SHF's commercial and institutional activities span four revenue streams: individual membership dues (paid online via HelloAsso or by paper form), fee-based professional training programs on species handling, legislation, and conservation (Qualiopi-certified since 2024, with courses priced from €90 to €1,365 per participant delivered both in-person across multiple French cities and via distance learning), congress registration fees from its annual national scientific congress (the 53rd edition scheduled for Bayonne in 2026), and recurring public funding from the French Ministry of Ecological Transition, OFB, UMS PatriNat, and DREAL regional offices. Its research output includes the Bulletin scientifique de la SHF, a peer-reviewed journal indexed in Web of Science since 1976 with 189+ issues, and the open-access Herp me! naturalist review. Since 2024, SHF holds the mandate to validate national SINP herpetological data in partnership with UMS PatriNat, and since 2025 it heads the herpetofauna network within Faune-France, institutionalizing its role as the obligatory national node for validated French herpetological data.

Name

Société herpétologique de France

Legal name

Société herpétologique de France

Website

https://lashf.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1971

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Société herpétologique de France (SHF) is the only national French non-profit association dedicated to reptiles and amphibians, coordinating citizen science monitoring, National Action Plans for threatened species, Qualiopi-certified professional training, and a Web of Science-indexed scientific journal, funded through membership dues, training fees, congress registrations, and public grants from the Ministry of Ecological Transition and OFB.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wildlife Conservation Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYHLAMAJAO

Animal Health Policy, Standards & International Coordination (e.g., WOAH/FAO)

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Veterinary & Animal Health/Animal Health Public Health, Regulators & Disease Control

SECONDARYBPADANAB

Technical Committees, Working Groups & Expert Panels

Business & Public Services/International Organizations & Development/International Standards, Policy & Regulatory Cooperation

Keywords

• Herpetological conservation
• Citizen science programs
• Professional training
• Biodiversity research
• Scientific publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees collected from individuals who join SHF. Adhering members support the association's mission, gain access to free resources, participate in congress, and contribute to the association's legitimacy and force for biodiversity advocacy. Payment is processed via HelloAsso online platform or paper membership forms.
2. Professional Training Programs: SHF generates revenue from fee-based professional training programs on handling, managing, and preserving reptiles and amphibians. Programs include classroom-based training (e.g., turtle handling at €1,295–1,365, transport of live animals at €350) and distance learning sessions (e.g., legislation courses from €225). Training is Qualiopi certified since 2024, making programs eligible for public and mutualized funding.
3. Congress Registration Fees: Annual national congresses (the 53rd edition scheduled for 2026 in Bayonne) generate revenue through participant registration fees. The congress offers conference presentations, workshops, field trips, and structure stands including book sales.
4. Public Funding and Grants: SHF receives public funding from governmental bodies including the Ministry of Environment, DREAL regional offices, OFB (Office Français de la Biodiversité), and operates in partnership with PatriNat/UMS PatriNat. The association has partner organizations that contribute financially to specific programs and conservation actions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Société herpétologique de France (SHF) is a non-profit association founded in 1971 dedicated to the study, protection, training, and public awareness of reptiles and amphibians in France. It operates national citizen science monitoring programs (POPAmphibien, POPReptile), coordinates multiple National Action Plans for threatened species, delivers Qualiopi-certified professional training, publishes a peer-reviewed scientific journal (Bulletin) and a naturalist magazine (HERP me!), and convenes an annual national congress. Membership, training fees, and public grants fund its activities.

Product overview

The Société herpétologique de France operates a portfolio of interconnected conservation, citizen science, and knowledge-dissemination programs. Core offerings include two flagship citizen science monitoring programs: POPAmphibien and POPReptile, which collect standardized population data via GeoNature platforms and contribute to national biodiversity databases. These feed into three National Action Plans (PNA) for threatened species: Cistude d'Europe, Lézard ocellé, and Vipères de France hexagonale. Public engagement is served through undragon.org (citizen observation platform) and sosserpentstortuesgrenouilles.org (species identification and cohabitation guidance). Scientific output includes the peer-reviewed Bulletin scientifique (indexed in Web of Science since 1976) and the open-access HERP me! magazine. Professional training programs, certified Qualiopi, cover species handling, conservation, and regulatory compliance. The annual congress rounds out the offering as a key scientific exchange event.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• POPAmphibien: National citizen science program for monitoring amphibian populations in France, part of the national terrestrial biodiversity surveillance program.
• POPReptile
• Bulletin scientifique de la SHF
• Herp me !
• Un Dragon ! Dans mon jardin ?
• SOS serpents, tortues et grenouilles

Products and services

• POPAmphibien
• POPReptile
• PNA Cistude d'Europe National Action Plan 2020-2029 for the conservation of the European Pond Turtle (Emys orbicularis), coordinated by SHF in collaboration with DREAL Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.
• PNA Lézard ocellé National Action Plan for the conservation of the Ocellated Lizard (Timon lepidus), successor to a first plan completed in 2018, validated by CNPN in November 2019.
• PNA Vipères de France hexagonale National Action Plan 2025-2030 for vipers of mainland France covering three species (Vipera aspis, Vipera berus, and Vipera seoanei), coordinated by DREAL Hauts-de-France.
• Un dragon ! Dans mon jardin ? Participatory science campaign launched in 2004 (relaunched nationally in 2018) inviting the public to observe and report amphibians and reptiles via undragon.org, with observations validated by volunteer experts ('dragonniers').
• SOS serpents, tortues et grenouilles Public-facing website to help identify amphibians and reptiles encountered in France, answer questions about cohabitation, and provide guidance on appropriate responses.
• Bulletin scientifique de la SHF Peer-reviewed scientific journal founded in 1976 covering reptile and amphibian research, now entirely digital, free, open-access, and indexed in Web of Science.
• HERP me! Open-access naturalist journal providing identification guides, field guides, illustrated catalogs, and distribution atlases for herpetofauna study and identification.
• Formations SHF (Professional Training) Professional training programs covering manipulation, management, and preservation of reptiles and amphibians, Qualiopi-certified since 2024, including in-person and distance learning formats.
• Congrès SHF (Annual Congress) Annual national herpetology congress bringing together naturalists, researchers, managers, students, and enthusiasts for presentations, workshops, and field excursions; the 53rd edition scheduled for Bayonne in 2026.
• SHF Annual Membership Annual membership subscription granting adherents access to free publications, the HERP me! magazine, congress participation, and member resources.

Named customers5 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

Integration1 record

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Office Français de la Biodiversité (OFB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOFB is a key institutional partner supporting SHF's national biodiversity monitoring programs. SHF works with OFB on the national terrestrial biodiversity surveillance program (programme national de surveillance de la biodiversité terrestre) and receives support for its population monitoring programs (POPAmphibien, POPReptile).
• UMS PatriNatcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUMS PatriNat (Unité Mixte de Service PatriNat, MNHN/CNRS/OFB) hosts the national terrestrial biodiversity surveillance program that SHF's POPAmphibien and POPReptile programs are part of. Since 2024, SHF has been in charge of national validation of SINP herpetological data in partnership with PatriNat.
• Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (MNHN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSHF was founded at and maintains a close institutional relationship with the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle in Paris. The MNHN is a key scientific partner providing research support, and SHF publishes atlases in partnership with the Ministry of Environment and MNHN.
• Cistude NatureflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCistude Nature is a historical partner of SHF and co-organizer of the 53rd SHF congress in 2026 in Bayonne. The partnership combines SHF's national network with Cistude Nature's local expertise in the Basque Country for congress organization and local conservation activities.
• CPIE Littoral BasqueflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCPIE Littoral Basque co-hosts the 53rd SHF congress in Bayonne, providing the venue at the Maison des associations and local logistical support. CPIE is part of the national CPIE network with which SHF runs the 'Un Dragon! Dans mon jardin?' citizen science campaign.
• DREAL Auvergne-Rhône-AlpescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDREAL Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes co-funds and co-animates the PNA (Plan National d'Actions) en faveur de la Cistude d'Europe with SHF, which holds the animation role of this 2020–2029 national conservation plan.
• DREAL Hauts-de-FrancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDREAL Hauts-de-France is mandated by the Ministry of Ecology to coordinate the PNA (Plan National d'Actions) 2025–2030 en faveur des Vipères de France hexagonale, with SHF as the animator of the plan. This is a key institutional partnership for viper conservation across France.
• Union nationale des CPIEflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerSince 2018, SHF and the Union nationale des CPIE have jointly run the 'Un Dragon! Dans mon jardin?' citizen science campaign, initially launched in Normandy in 2004. The campaign invites the public to observe and report amphibians and reptiles in their gardens and local environments, contributing to national distribution data.
• Office National des Forêts (ONF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerONF is a listed partner of SHF, supporting forest management and biodiversity conservation. ONF manages public forests across France and collaborates with SHF on species monitoring and habitat management in forested environments.
• Ministère de la Transition Écologique (MTE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Ministry of the Ecological Transition provides institutional funding and mandate for SHF's national data validation role within the SINP (Système d'Information sur la Nature et les Paysages) and supports the national terrestrial biodiversity surveillance program.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• UICN France: French committee of IUCN that publishes red lists and convenes species-conservation expertise. Shares with SHF the role of authoritative scientific voice on threatened species and overlapping work on PNA advisory committees and biodiversity policy.
• France Nature Environnement (FNE): France's largest federation of environmental NGOs and a long-standing interlocutor of the Ministry of Ecological Transition. FNE overlaps with SHF on policy advocacy, training, and coalition-led biodiversity monitoring, but at a multi-taxonomic, federation level rather than herpetology-specific.
• Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (MNHN): Public research institution hosting SHF's headquarters and serving as a key scientific partner. Shares herpetological research and atlas publication work, but operates as a much broader natural-history institution rather than a focused NGO.
• Office Français de la Biodiversité (OFB): Public agency funding and co-animating SHF's POPAmphibien and POPReptile programs within the national terrestrial biodiversity surveillance framework. OFB is a funder and institutional counterpart rather than a competitor, but it sets the strategic agenda SHF executes against.
• WWF France: Large international conservation organization with a French chapter pursuing policy advocacy, citizen engagement, and species conservation. Competes with SHF for limited French biodiversity funding and corporate partnership attention, but at much greater scale and taxonomic breadth.

Direct peers

• Ligue pour la Protection des Oiseaux (LPO): France's leading national NGO dedicated to a specific taxonomic group (birds). LPO runs a comparable model of citizen science, Faune-France network leadership, government-mandated conservation plans, training, and a peer-reviewed journal — making it the closest structural analogue to SHF for birds.
• Noé Conservation: French biodiversity NGO operating citizen-science, conservation, and education programs across multiple taxa. Comparable on program structure, fundraising mix, and reliance on public partnerships, but with broader taxonomic scope than SHF.
• Office pour les Insectes et leur Environnement (OPIE): National NGO dedicated to a single taxonomic group (insects) in France. Closely mirrors SHF's structure of learned-society origins, regional networks, scientific publications, and educational outreach focused on a specific fauna group.
• Fédération des Conservatoires d'espaces naturels: Federation of regional Conservatoires managing natural sites and species. Comparable to SHF on PNA co-animation, regional coordinator networks, and reliance on DREAL co-funding, though focused on habitat protection across all taxa.
• Société Française pour l'Étude et la Protection des Mammifères (SFEPM): French learned society analogous to SHF but dedicated to mammals. Operates with similar scientific society, citizen science, PNA, and training structures, providing a near-perfect taxonomic-peer model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• GitHubgithub.com/lashf
• Facebookfacebook.com/SocieteHerpetologiqueDeFranceSHF
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/societe-herpetologique-de-france-shf
• Xx.com/LaSHF_Officiel

Compliance1 record

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 Société herpétologique de France