The Conservation Movement Takes Shape

Scientific Societies and Nature Protection

The late 19th and early 20th centuries saw the emergence of scientific societies dedicated to studying and protecting nature. The Société Zoologique d'Acclimatation (1854) and the Société Nationale de Protection de la Nature (1901) brought together scientists, aristocrats, and bourgeois nature enthusiasts.

These early conservation organizations reflected the class dynamics of their time. Members were predominantly educated elites who could afford leisure time for natural history. Their conservation efforts often focused on protecting hunting grounds and picturesque landscapes rather than addressing industrial pollution affecting working-class communities. Nevertheless, they established important precedents for organized environmental advocacy.

The First Protected Areas

France established its first nature reserves in the early 20th century, though these lagged behind American national parks by several decades. The Sept-Îles reserve in Brittany (1912) protected seabird colonies, while the Camargue reserve (1927) preserved Mediterranean wetlands.

These early protected areas revealed tensions that persist in French conservation. Local communities, particularly fishermen and farmers, often resented restrictions on traditional activities. In French Algeria, the creation of national parks displaced indigenous populations, establishing patterns of colonial conservation that would influence environmental policies in overseas territories.