Philippe Martin

Philippe Martin (born 22 November 1953) is a French politician of the Socialist Party (PS) who has been serving as president of the French Agency for Biodiversity (AFB) since 2017.

Martin was prefect of Gers department from 1992 to 1994 and prefect of Landes department from 1994 to 1995.

Martin was a member of the National Assembly from 2002 until 2013, representing Gers's 1st constituency.

In parliament, he was a member of the "Socialist, Radical, Citizen and Miscellaneous Left" (SRC) political group and served on the Finance Committee.

On 1 July 2012, Martin asked French restaurateurs and wine merchants to stop selling Californian wines in protest against the entry into force of a California law prohibiting the sale of foie gras on grounds of animal welfare.

Prior this, he served as Minister for Environment, Sustainable Development and Energy in the government of Prime Minister of France Jean-Marc Ayrault from 2013 to 2014.

During his brief term as minister, Martin put off plans for France's transition towards less carbon-intensive energy sources until 2014.

In 2014, as part of a wider effort to deter poachers and traffickers, Martin publicly destroyed a stock of about three tons of confiscated ivory from the tusks of African elephants, making France the first European country to take such a step.

Shortly after, in an effort to protect the citizens of Paris against pollution triggered by an exceptionally warm spring, he ordered a 20 kilometer-hour reduction of the speed limits, made parking free in the city and diverted large trucks from the city.

Martin is a fierce critic of genetically modified organisms (GMO).

In the Socialist Party's 2017 primaries, Martin publicly endorsed Benoît Hamon as the party's candidate for the French presidential election later that year.