Anthropogenic light pollution is an increasingly significant issue worldwide. Over the past century, the use of artificial lighting has increased in association with human activity. Artificial lights are suspected to have substantial effects on the ecology of many species, e.g., by producing discontinuities in the territories of nocturnal animals. We analyzed the potential influence of the intensity and type of artificial light on bat activity in a semi-natural landscape in France. We used a species approach, followed by a trait-based approach, to light sensitivity. We also investigated whether the effect of light could be related to foraging traits. We performed acoustic surveys at sites located along a gradient of light intensities to assess the activity of 15 species of bats. We identified 2 functional response groups of species: one group that was light-tolerant and one group that was light-intolerant. Among the species in the latter group that appear to be disadvantaged by lighting conditions, many are rare and threatened in Europe, whereas the species from the former group are better able to thrive in disturbed habitats such as lighted areas and may actually benefit from artificial lighting. Finally, several methods of controlling light pollution are suggested for the conservation of bat communities. Recommendations for light management and the creation of dim-light corridors are proposed; these strategies may play an important role in protecting against the impact of light pollution on nocturnal animals.

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The role of hedgerows in maintaining biodiversity in areas of intensive agriculture is well known, particularly for bats. However, few studies have addressed the importance of the intrinsic characteristics of hedgerows for bats and disentangled the relative effects of local and landscape characteristics of hedgerows on bat activity. In an acoustic survey, we assessed bat activity by recording bat calls using detectors and manually verified all calls using spectrogram analysis. The parameters used to determine local hedgerow structures were the length of the line of trees, of shrub hedgerows, of wooded hedgerows without shrubs and of hedgerows including the three strata (tree, shrub and herb) at a local scale. We assessed the influence of hedgerow structure and on bat activity with an approach considering both species and community, comparing two different scales, the local and the landscape. We highlighted the importance of hedgerow characteristics for bats on both the local and landscape scales even though responses differ between species and spatial scales. We found that the presence of trees in hedgerows exerts a generally positive influence on bat activity and that hedgerows with the three strata had lower bat activity than hedgerows with trees. In our study, some bats seemed to prefer agricultural landscapes dominated by wooded hedgerows and, on the local scale, hedgerows that include trees with little diversified among strata, except for gleaning species. Our study shows that in terms of hedgerow management, conservation efforts must be designed and undertaken on both the local and landscape scales.

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This data paper describes the results of a 10-year scientific investigation of a biodiversity-rich private golf estate in south-eastern France in partnership with PatriNat (Office français de la biodiversité/Centre national de la recherche scientifique/Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement). In total, 3,160 species and subspecies, including 1,796 arthropods and 1,049 flora, were inventoried and 65 habitat types were surveyed and mapped. This project is the first All taxa biodiversity inventory (ATBI) in a private property in France with all information available in open data. The 20 datasets of fauna, flora, lichens and habitat types from the Bois de Bouis estate are now publicly available. Between 2012 and 2022, more than 22,000 occurrences were recorded, checked and published in the INPN information system. All this information is available in open access in the French portal OpenObs, operated by PatriNat and in the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). This data paper provides an overview of the project, its main results and its contribution to the French National Inventory of Natural Heritage (INPN). This data paper presents a list eight species never previously recorded to France; three Hymenoptera: Charitopes leucobasis Townes, 1983 (Ichneumonidae), Dryinus tussaci Olmi, 1989 (Dryinidae) and Sparasion munitus Kozlov & Kononova, 1990 (Sparasionidae) and five Diptera: Clusiodes apicalis (Zetterstedt, 1848) (Clusiidae), Dicraeus vagans (Meigen, 1838) (Chloropidae), Stilpon intermedius Raffone, 1994, Stilpon subnubilus Chvala, 1988 and Tachydromia undulata (Strobl, 1906) (Hybotidae). It also includes a table comparing the project to 18 All-taxa biodiversity inventories in France and Belgium and published for the first time.

Environmental DNA (eDNA) data enables biodiversity to be monitored at unprecedented resolution and scale. There is great potential in combining knowledge from traditional and innovative methods such as eDNA for biodiversity assessment. eDNA use cases are increasing in aquatic and marine environments, and studies on soils have been developed in recent years. PatriNat*1 (under the guardianship of the French Biodiversity Office (OFB), National Museum of Natural History (MNHN), National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), and Research Institute for Development (IRD)) is a French data and expertise center working with environmental and research stakeholders to develop data exchanges at all levels. We discuss what eDNA data is (Fig. 1), the different types of data, and the importance of their storage and accessibility. As the amount of eDNA data increases, public agencies need to propose FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) tools and methods to facilitate their use and foster the development of relevant scientific expertise. We give an overview of the French eDNA data landscape and links with existing standards SINP*2 (National Heritage Inventory Information System), Darwin Core*3(Wieczorek et al. 2012) and workflows (Fig. 2). A priority of eDNA data is to have reliable reference bases and FAIR metadata. PatriNat's new tool will provide access to expertly validated genetic sequence data on species present in France, and is urgently needed for research but also knowledge, monitoring, public policies, and potential law enforcement purposes. We therefore present this technical database built in conjunction with, among other initiatives, DiSSCo*4, iBOL*5 and TaxRef*6 (Gargominy et al. 2022). It will manage 3 data types: Intrinsic sequence data (marker, sequencing methods, etc.). Sequence management (organization, identifiers, URLs, etc.). Voucher data Intrinsic sequence data (marker, sequencing methods, etc.). Sequence management (organization, identifiers, URLs, etc.). Voucher data It will use the nomenclature of Chakrabarty et al. (2013) as well as: The Global Genome Biodiversity Network (GGBN) standard*7 (Droege et al. 2016) The Minimum information about any sequence (MIxS) standard (Yilmaz et al. 2011) The Biological Collection Data (ABCD) standard*8 (Holetschek et al. 2012) The Collections Descriptions terms*9 (Woodburn et al. 2021) The Global Genome Biodiversity Network (GGBN) standard*7 (Droege et al. 2016) The Minimum information about any sequence (MIxS) standard (Yilmaz et al. 2011) The Biological Collection Data (ABCD) standard*8 (Holetschek et al. 2012) The Collections Descriptions terms*9 (Woodburn et al. 2021) The DwC DNA extension*10 can be used for sharing parts of its contents to the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, but referencing sequences associated with specimens/vouchers will require other standards.

Souvent considéré comme impactant pour les ressources en eau et la biodiversité, le golf implique des activités d’entretien des gazons récurrentes et des surfaces de jeu souvent importantes. Plus de 30 000 hectares sur le territoire métropolitain sont ainsi dédiés à des terrains de golf. Le tableau est-il si noir pour l’environnement ? La question des impacts environnementaux des structures golfiques, comme d’autres activités humaines, doit être posée dans un contexte global d’érosion de la biodiversité. Dans la mesure où une activité répond à une demande sociale et économique voire sociétale forte, l’idée n’est pas de se positionner « pour » ou « contre » mais bien de l’accompagner pour qu’elle soit la moins impactante pour l’environnement. La réduction des incidences environnementales est une nécessité pour la filière golfique. Les éléments décrits dans cet article démontrent que dans bien des cas, les golfs peuvent être supports de connaissances scientifiques, jusque-là très parcellaires sur ces sites, voire de restauration ou de conservation de la nature. Fort d’un engagement sur plusieurs années, la Fédération française de golf, avec l’appui scientifique et technique du Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, a lancé récemment le « Programme golf pour la biodiversité », s’inscrivant dans cette dynamique. Ce programme vise à favoriser les partenariats entre structures golfiques et naturalistes pour mieux connaître et préserver la biodiversité dans les espaces golfiques. Il ne répondra pas à lui seul à l’ensemble des défis actuels de la filière golfique, mais participe à l’adhésion généralisée à cette transition écologique, nécessaire à l’avenir de ce sport « de nature ».