French President Emmanuel Macron has pledged to step up environmental protection policies, including with a new reserve around Mont Blanc amid concerns over tourism and pollution.

Axar.az reports citing foreign media.

Speaking at the foot of the country's highest mountain, he said 2020 would be a "decisive" year for the environment.

Critics have often spoken of the rising number of tourists coming to Mont Blanc and the pollution they leave behind.

Mr Macron also visited France's largest glacier that has shrunk dramatically.

"What we see with this glacier melting is irrefutable proof of global warming," Mr Macron said in Chamonix after visiting the Mer de Glace. The 7.5 kilometre (4.7 mile) glacier lies on Mont Blanc.

The president said the fight for biodiversity was "a fight for our own survival" and officially launched a new agency, the French Office of Biodiversity (OFB), which will monitor and restore the French environment.