This Brief discusses the translation of global environmental norms across local contexts in
France. It provides a snapshot of how global-level environmental norms travel vertically across
levels of governance from the global to the local and asks how global environmental norms are
(re)interpreted by local-level actors and translated to a particular local context. Chapters
focus on three in-depth case studies each involving multi-stakeholder environmental
governance: (1) the Cerbère-Banyuls Marine Nature Reserve (2) the Thau Fisheries Local Action
Group (FLAG) and (3) the Biovallée biodistrict. In each of these cases the author assesses
how twilight norms are used to frame promote and generally develop a local discourse that
centers on environmental conservation and sustainability. By combining concepts from the
literature on norm localization with processes from the literature on norm-based institutional
change this Brief will generate new insights on the dynamic aspects of norm translation. As
such it will be of interest to researchers studying environmental politics comparative policy
governance and norms.
