The LPO was created in January 1912 to stop the puffin massacre in Brittany, where at the time puffin hunting played an active role in the tourism industry. The group is recognised as a society of public interest and its president is Allain Bougrain-Dubourg. It has nearly 400 employees in France and more than 45,000 members. Today the LPO is considered France’s primary association for nature conservation.
Originally responsible for nature reserves and reporting the traffic of bird feathers, the LPO later gained professional status, giving scientific advice and suggesting areas suitable for nature reserve status. Its website explains that “together with its network of partnerships, the LPO is one of the main national conservation units of natural spaces, especially of wet zones, of which it is historically one of the main keepers. It manages more than 20,000 hectares of natural habitat divided up over 130 sites […]”. Thanks to the involvement of private individuals, it has also established nearly 20,000 bird refuges.
Following the example of its sister association, Bretagne Vivante, the LPO can legally report and bring civil cases against unlawful actions against the environment.
Although it was created in Brittany, its headquarters are in Rochefort, Charente-Maritime. An ornithology unit managed by the LPO is however still established on Ile-Grande in the Trégor region. It is authorised to take in and care for wild birds, something they do often because of the many oil tankers being cleaned off the Brittany coast.
Translation: Tilly O'Neill
