Opie (Office pour les insectes et leur environnement)

What Opie (Office pour les insectes et leur environnement) does

Opie (Office pour les insectes et leur environnement) is a French nonprofit association (loi 1901) founded in 1969 and headquartered in Guyancourt, with a public exhibition center (Maison des Insectes) in Carrières-sous-Poissy, an antenna in Occitanie, and three affiliated regional associations (Franche-Comté, Midi-Pyrénées, Provence-Alpes-du-Sud). It is the only national French association exclusively dedicated to insects and their environment, holding national approvals from the Ministry of Ecology (since 1979, renewed 2023) and the Ministry of Education (since 2011, renewed 2017). Opie serves four primary constituencies: the general public (via the Maison des Insectes and citizen science programs), professional naturalists and institutions (via Qualiopi-certified training and expert identification services), government agencies (via PNA animation for butterflies and dragonflies, EU Habitat Directive reporting for 47 insect species, and SINP-SIB coordination for four insect groups), and land managers (via tailored entomological studies and impact assessments).

The organization's core offerings span three pillars: Knowledge (entomological studies, inventories, citizen science programs including Spipoll, Qubs, En Quête d'Insectes, Bugs Matter launching April 2026, Sterf, and Steli), Transmission (professional training across 13+ themes, Maison des Insectes exhibitions, pedagogical insect breeding, and three scientific journals — Insectes since 1967, Ephemera, and Martinia), and Conservation (national action plan animation, IUCN red list contributions, ZNIEFF inventory secretariat). Its proprietary Swarm data management platform centralizes biodiversity data flows, databases, and protocols, supporting dynamic national atlases and SINP-SIB network coordination. Bugs Matter, launching in 2026 with Association Noé and Vigie-Nature, adds a mobile-app-driven citizen science instrument for measuring flying insect abundance.

Opie generates revenue through a diversified mix: annual membership subscriptions from individuals and organizations, Qualiopi-certified professional training (financed via OPCO/CPF), Maison des Insectes admissions (€4-7 per ticket), entomological studies and identification services, pedagogical insect breeding sales, journal subscriptions, public subsidies from the Ministry of Ecological Transition, OFB, INRAE, regional councils, and European LIFE programme grants, plus corporate patronage from L'Oréal, Lidl France, Yves Rocher Foundation, and Fondation Nature & Découvertes. The association operates as a national hub connecting a 20-member scientific council, four specialized working groups (Opie-benthos, Opie-odonates, Opie-sentience, Opie-symphytes), and thousands of citizen scientists contributing to large-scale biodiversity datasets.

Name

Opie (Office pour les insectes et leur environnement)

Legal name

Office pour les insects et leur environnement

Website

https://insectes.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Opie is a French nonprofit association founded in 1969 that studies insects, coordinates national conservation action plans for butterflies, dragonflies, and pollinators, and operates the Maison des Insectes visitor center. It serves the public, government agencies, and professional naturalists via citizen science programs, Qualiopi-certified training, and entomological studies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Carrières-sous-poissy

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership subscriptions: Annual membership fees collected from individuals (physical persons) and moral persons (organizations). The amount is set by the General Assembly on proposal of the Board.
2. Professional training: Multi-day professional training courses on insects offered across France. Certified Qualiopi since March 2022. Organism agréé for continuing professional education (n°11780607178). Training can be financed through participants' training plans.
3. Maison des Insectes visitor admissions: Entrance fees to the public exhibition hall at Carrières-sous-Poissy: full price €7, reduced €5, under 18 €4, free for under 4. Group bookings for schools and organizations at negotiated rates.
4. Services and studies: Entomological studies, inventories, impact assessments, species identification, and expert opinions are charged based on difficulty and quantity, per a fee schedule set by the management committee and validated by the Bureau.
5. Animations and events: Paid animations for schools, associations, companies (seminars), and events including stand presentations, workshops, and conference room rentals at the Maison des Insectes.
6. Pedagogical insect breeding sales: Production and sale of insect breeding for pedagogical purposes. The association breeds insects sold for educational use.
7. Bookshop and publications: Sale of books, identification guides, atlases, and the boutique offering entomological products.
8. Journal subscriptions: Subscriptions to the review Insectes and Ephemera journal for subscribers who may or may not be members of Opie. Also Martinia open-access online journal.
9. Public subsidies and grants: Subsidies from public institutions including Ministry of Ecological Transition, Ministry of Interior, INRAE, OFB, regional prefectures, Île-de-France Region, Occitanie Region, and departmental councils.
10. Donations, legacies, and patronage: Donations, legacies, life insurance donations, and patronage/mécénat from private companies and foundations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Opie is a French nonprofit association (loi 1901) founded in 1969 that conducts entomological studies and inventories, delivers professional entomology training, runs national citizen science monitoring programs (Spipoll, Qubs, En Quête d'Insectes, Bugs Matter, Sterf, Steli), operates the Maison des Insectes visitor center and outreach animations, and publishes peer-reviewed scientific journals (Insectes, Ephemera, Martinia). It sells memberships, educational insect-breeding kits, publications, and training services to naturalists, professionals, institutions, and the general public.

Product overview

Opie (Office pour les insectes et leur environnement) is a non-profit association specializing in insect conservation and environmental education, founded in 1969. The organization offers a portfolio of interconnected products and services centered around three pillars: Knowledge (citizen science programs, conservation projects, and entomological studies), Transmission (professional training, the Maison des Insectes visitor center, educational breeding programs, and publications including the revues Insectes, Ephemera, and Martinia), and Conservation (national action plans, IUCN red lists, and ZNIEFF inventory management). The core offerings include citizen science programs (Spipoll, Qubs, En Quête d'Insectes, Bugs Matter, Sterf, Steli), professional services (entomological studies, insect identification, conservation projects), educational services (training courses, animations, Maison des Insectes exhibition), and scientific publications. The organization operates the Swarm data management platform internally and maintains a national coordination role for biodiversity information systems.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Études et inventaires entomologiques

Quantifiable outcome

• 97.94% satisfaction rate for professional training in 2024 (across 19 quality criteria)
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

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

• France Nature Environnement (FNE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOpie is a member association of FNE, France's largest environmental federation, providing a platform for collective advocacy and network amplification.
• Union Internationale pour la Conservation de la Nature France (UICN France)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOpie is part of the French committee of IUCN, contributing to international conservation knowledge and red list methodology.
• Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle (MNHN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-developed Spipoll program (launched 2010), co-hosts Steli dragonfly monitoring program, provides data to INPN, and collaborates on national atlas projects and ZNIEFF inventory secretariat.
• Ministry of Ecological Transition (MTE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment partner commissioning PNA animation, SINP-SIB coordination, EU Habitat Directive reporting, and biodiversity policy support. Opie holds national environment ministry approval renewed through 2023.
• Office Français de la Biodiversité (OFB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOperational partner for biodiversity conservation, co-funder of Bugs Matter program, and collaborator on SINP-SIB network coordination and species conservation projects.
• Association NoémajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-porting partner of the Bugs Matter program in France alongside Opie and Vigie-Nature MNHN, launching April 2026.
• Vigie-Nature (MNHN)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-porting partner of the Bugs Matter citizen science program to measure insect abundance in France.
• INRAEminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInstitutional partner for training collaboration and research on insect conservation.
• Université Paris-SaclayminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner providing institutional support and collaboration.
• Office National des Forêts (ONF)majorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerFramework convention partner for which Opie delivers custom entomological training adapted to the needs of natural area managers. Opie provides training services to ONF agents.
• CPIE (Centres Permanents d'Initiative pour l'Environnement)majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNetwork of environmental education centers co-hosting Opie professional training courses (e.g., CPIE Brenne-Berry, CPIE Meuse) and collaborating on educational projects.
• GRAINE networkminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNetwork for environmental education initiative support, collaborating with Opie on training delivery.
• LPO (Ligue pour la Protection des Oiseaux)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-animator of the Sciences Participatives Biodiversité collective alongside Opie, with shared missions in citizen science and biodiversity monitoring.
• Regional Natural Parks (PNR)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMultiple PNRs collaborate with Opie on species conservation, habitat management, and bee conservation programs. PNR de Nouvelle-Aquitaine leads Life Wild Bees project with Opie participation.
• CEN Occitanie / CEN IDF / CEN BourgognemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional conservation conservatories co-publishing red lists, coordinating SINP poles, and conducting entomological studies with Opie.
• BeeFriendlyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociation promoting pollinator-friendly farming practices. Opie is an adherent supporting the label and participating in inventory activities at the Ferme du Grand Laval.
• OC'nat (Union des Associations Naturalistes d'Occitanie)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional naturalist union within which Opie's Occitanie antenna represents the association.
• CNRSminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational research partner for entomological studies and collaborative research.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Butterfly Conservation: UK charity focused on butterflies, moths, and their habitats, operating nationwide recording schemes (similar to Opie's Sterf/Steli). Comparable scope on lepidoptera conservation, transect monitoring, and habitat management partnerships.
• Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation: US-based nonprofit focused on invertebrate conservation, particularly pollinators and aquatic invertebrates. Directly comparable mission, with overlapping programs in citizen science, policy advocacy (Endangered Species Act work parallels Opie's EU Habitat Directive role), and educational outreach.
• Buglife: The UK-based charity dedicated to the conservation of invertebrates (the only such national organization in Britain). Directly comparable to Opie as a national invertebrate conservation nonprofit combining species advocacy, citizen science, policy engagement, and volunteer networks.
• Bumblebee Conservation Trust: UK charity dedicated to bumblebee conservation through research, advocacy, and habitat programs. Comparable as a pollinator-focused conservation nonprofit with strong corporate-partnership and citizen-science engagement model.
• Noé Conservation: French conservation NGO co-porting the Bugs Matter program with Opie and MNHN. Operates similar model of biodiversity programs, public mobilization, and corporate partnerships (L'Oréal connections) in France.
• Arthropologia: French association dedicated to the study and conservation of arthropods (insects, arachnids, myriapods). Closest French functional peer to Opie in terms of invertebrate taxonomic focus and small-scale nonprofit structure.

Broad incumbents

• France Nature Environnement (FNE): France's largest federation of environmental associations, of which Opie is a member. Provides the umbrella advocacy and network amplification role; broader taxonomic scope but parallels Opie's national voice function.
• UICN France: French committee of the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Opie is a member contributing to international conservation knowledge and IUCN Red List methodology; comparable nonprofit structure for biodiversity advocacy.
• Ligue pour la Protection des Oiseaux (LPO): France's largest nature protection association (focused on birds). Operates with similar model as Opie (membership-based, citizen science, government partnerships, regional delegations, magazine publication), but broader taxonomic scope; co-animator of Sciences Participatives Biodiversité collective with Opie.

Emerging players

• Conservatoire d'espaces naturels (CEN): Federation of regional conservatories managing natural sites. While broader in taxonomic scope, Cen Occitanie/CEN IDF/CEN Bourgogne are listed as Opie partners for red lists and entomological studies, indicating overlap in deliverable territory.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCEZkVzPkl3us-hhy6sZLBYQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/opie.national
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/opie
• Instagraminstagram.com/opie_insectes

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries9 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 Opie (Office pour les insectes et leur environnement)