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The terms “administration” and “nature” would seem to contradict each other. People have a certain idea of what nature entails and try to ensure that it prevails. Policies on the protection of the natural environment, which are recent, have undoubtedly been successful: species on the edge of extinction and vulnerable areas have been saved. However, these policies have demonstrated their limits, because they are so closely based on economic activities. Current efforts to administrate nature seek to integrate goals into all public and private policies. In 2010, France is trying to ensure it does what is necessary to halt loss of its biodiversity. But at the global level, the big increase in the size of the ecological footprint due to population growth and development is a cause for pessimism.