Impact of chlordecone pollution on biodiversity: The blind spot of 15 years of public policy in the French West Indies

For many years, there has been an unprecedented decline in biodiversity on a global scale, triggered largely by the use of plant protection products. In this context, a collective scientific assessment was conducted to identify current consensus knowledge and further needs regarding the impacts of plant protection products on biodiversity and ecosystem services in France, including its overseas territories. A particular focus was placed on chlordecone, a highly persistent organochlorine insecticide used extensively in the French West Indies (FWI) for more than 20 years (1972-1993) to control the banana root borer, but also in Eastern Europe, the USA, South America and Africa for various uses. The FWI support biodiversity hotspots, with many endemic and endangered species, and include marine and terrestrial protected areas. Such an environmental context is therefore highly relevant for studying the links between chlordecone contamination and potential effects on biodiversity. Thus, the objective of this work was to review the contamination of the FWI environment by chlordecone, its transfer through ecosystems, and its effects on biodiversity and ecosystem services. Literature analysis emphasized valuable knowledge of chlordecone ecodynamics in terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems. A wide diversity of terrestrial and aquatic organisms is chronically exposed to chlordecone. However, despite 15 years of public policy dedicated to developing knowledge on chlordecone’s fate and impacts, the knowledge gap remains critical regarding its effects on biodiversity and on ecosystem services. As the local environment is often contaminated for tens or even hundreds of years, future research is needed to characterize the effects of legacy pollution by chlordecone and its transformation products on organisms and ecosystems.

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Publication Details

Journal
Peer Community Journal
Published
2025-10-16
DOI
https://doi.org/10.24072/pcjournal.634
Citations
1
Primary Topic
Environmental Toxicology and Ecotoxicology
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
1.20

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article

Impact of chlordecone pollution on biodiversity: The blind spot of 15 years of public policy in the French West Indies

Christophe Leboulanger, Stéphane Betoulle, Elliott Sucré, Stéphane Pesce et al.
1 citations
Peer Community Journal
Environmental Toxicology and Ecotoxicology
1.20
article

Impact of chlordecone pollution on biodiversity: The blind spot of 15 years of public policy in the French West Indies

Christophe Leboulanger, Stéphane Betoulle, Elliott Sucré, Stéphane Pesce, Laure Mamy, Fabrice Martin‐Laurent, Sophie Leenhardt, Christian Mougin, Sylvie Nélieu, Michaël Cœurdassier, Marie‐Agnès Coutellec, Wilfried Sánchez, Sandrine Charles
article en
1 citations

Abstract

For many years, there has been an unprecedented decline in biodiversity on a global scale, triggered largely by the use of plant protection products. In this context, a collective scientific assessment was conducted to identify current consensus knowledge and further needs regarding the impacts of plant protection products on biodiversity and ecosystem services in France, including its overseas territories. A particular focus was placed on chlordecone, a highly persistent organochlorine insecticide used extensively in the French West Indies (FWI) for more than 20 years (1972-1993) to control the banana root borer, but also in Eastern Europe, the USA, South America and Africa for various uses. The FWI support biodiversity hotspots, with many endemic and endangered species, and include marine and terrestrial protected areas. Such an environmental context is therefore highly relevant for studying the links between chlordecone contamination and potential effects on biodiversity. Thus, the objective of this work was to review the contamination of the FWI environment by chlordecone, its transfer through ecosystems, and its effects on biodiversity and ecosystem services. Literature analysis emphasized valuable knowledge of chlordecone ecodynamics in terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems. A wide diversity of terrestrial and aquatic organisms is chronically exposed to chlordecone. However, despite 15 years of public policy dedicated to developing knowledge on chlordecone’s fate and impacts, the knowledge gap remains critical regarding its effects on biodiversity and on ecosystem services. As the local environment is often contaminated for tens or even hundreds of years, future research is needed to characterize the effects of legacy pollution by chlordecone and its transformation products on organisms and ecosystems.

Peer Community JournalVol. 5
Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (FR), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR), Ifremer (FR), ParisTech (FR), AgroParisTech (FR), Institut Français (FR), Université Paris-Saclay (FR), Centre d'Etudes Prospectives et d'Informations Internationales (FR), Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement (FR), Institut Français de la Mer (FR), Setec (France) (FR), Agroécologie (FR), Istanbul 29 Mayis University (TR), Laboratoire Chrono-Environnement (FR), Normandie Université (FR), Écologie Fonctionnelle et Écotoxicologie des Agroécosystèmes (FR), Instituts Français de Recherche à L'Étranger (FR), Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive (FR), Institut Agro Dijon (FR), Stress Environnementaux et Biosurveillance des Milieux Aquatiques (FR), Marine Biodiversity Exploitation and Conservation (FR), Forum Réfugiés - Cosi (FR), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (FR), Université de Mayotte, Université Bourgogne Europe (FR), Université de Franche-Comté (FR), Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne (FR)
Université de Lorraine, Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement
Openalex Percentile: Top 18%
Environmental Toxicology and Ecotoxicology
1.20
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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