Included mainland Franceand overseas territories, France has the second largest maritime area in theworld. It is thus present in all the oceans, with the exception of the Arctic ocean, and shares with Thailand a very rich  biodiversity, which it strives to protect. 10%of the species described in the world are present in France. 

Mainland France has awide variety of birds like here the kingfisher or the pheasant, butterflieslike the alexanor, but also plants like the cornflower, a flower that has become the symbol of memory and solidarity, but also the cassier, a shrub found in the south of France where its flower,which is also the national flower of Thailand, is used in perfumery. On the other hand, you need more luck to see an ibex in the Alps, a gray wolf, a brown bear or an Eurasian lynx from afar!  

The left part of thepanel illustrates the biodiversity of the overseas territories of America andthe Caribbean: birds like the snowy owl, the emperor penguin, mammals like the kinkajou, reptiles like the iguana, marine animals like the jellyfish or the whale shark. The central and right parts of the panel present the biodiversity of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands and the territories of the Indian Ocean, the Pacific and Oceania. There are several "hot spots" of global biodiversity, regions very rich in species often on the verge of extinction, such as coral reefs. So if the populations of humpback whales areincreasing today thanks to the protection they enjoy against commercial fishing, other species such as sea turtles found in Thailand and in the French overseas territories are victims of pollution, poaching and catches by fishing gear. 

Iconic species from Thailand have slipped into the picture: you may have noticed the Asian elephantand the tiger, but did you recognize the great-horned hornbill and the fighting fish ?