ATENA atelier nature Sàrl

What ATENA atelier nature Sàrl does

ATENA atelier nature Sàrl is a Swiss nature and landscape consultancy headquartered in Fribourg and founded in 1995, operating as a Sàrl (private limited company) under the trade name "atena." The firm delivers applied ecological consulting to Swiss public authorities — primarily the Federal Office for the Environment (BAFU/FOEN) and multiple cantonal offices for nature conservation and spatial planning — as well as to agricultural institutes, conservation NGOs, and infrastructure operators. Its service portfolio is organized around six interconnected practice areas: Natural Habitats (milieux naturels / Lebensräume), Landscape and Spatial Planning (paysage et aménagement du territoire / Landschaft und Raumplanung), Agriculture and Nature (agriculture et nature / Landwirtschaft und Natur), Species Conservation (conservation des espèces / Artenschutz), Surveys and Inventories (relevés et inventaires / Kartierung und Inventare), and Translation and Communication (traduction et communication / Übersetzung und Kommunikation).

The underlying "technology" is human domain expertise: a five-person team trained across agronomy (EPF Zurich), geography (University of Fribourg, EPFL), biology (Universities of Lausanne and Neuchâtel), and literary/translation disciplines (University of Fribourg, École Normale Sion). Core technical activities include method development for field surveys, floristic and faunistic inventories (with a distinct specialization in nocturnal Lepidoptera / moth surveys), environmental impact assessments (EIE/UVP) for infrastructure projects, species protection concepts for rare flora and fauna, and long-term vegetation monitoring (e.g., at the Vanil Noir reserve since 2005 and in Nyon urban green spaces since 2010). The firm operates bilingually French–German and is the responsible entity for national inventories of dry meadows, pastures, and moorland landscapes on behalf of BAFU, delivered through the InfoHabitat network since 2017. An adjacent specialty is scientific and popular-science translation between German and French for federal agencies and agricultural research bodies such as Agroscope.

Commercially, ATENA runs a project-based professional services model. Revenue is generated through commissioned consulting mandates, public procurement contracts (federal and cantonal), and direct client engagements with conservation organizations and infrastructure operators such as SBB/CFF. The go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-driven, with no public pricing, no digital product offering, and no channel partners. There are no funding rounds, no parent company, no subsidiaries, no M&A activity, no disclosed revenue, and no evidence of AI or software technology in the stack. The firm is owned and managed by its partners (Gaby Volkart, Véronique Savoy Bugnon, Christian Purro), supported by an administration lead and a project manager.

Name

ATENA atelier nature Sàrl

Legal name

atena – ateliernature sàrl

Website

https://ateliernature.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ATENA atelier nature Sàrl is a Fribourg-based Swiss ecological consultancy founded in 1995, providing nature and landscape consulting — including inventories, environmental impact assessments, species conservation, and scientific translation — to federal and cantonal authorities, agricultural organizations, and conservation NGOs across German- and French-speaking Switzerland.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Consulting Services

NAICS

Environmental Consulting Services (54162), Support Activities for Crop Production (11511)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Terrestrial Ecology & Habitat Surveys (EUAHAHAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Carbon, Sustainability & Farm Certification Support (Agro-Environmental Advisory) (AFACABAL)

Keywords

• Environmental consulting services
• Nature and landscape expertise
• Biodiversity surveys
• Floristic and faunistic inventories
• Applied ecology consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Fribourg

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Professional consulting services: Provides expert consulting services in nature and landscape to government authorities, agricultural organizations, and private entities. Revenue generated through project-based consulting engagements including inventories, impact assessments, management plans, and expert reports.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Core offering

ATENA atelier nature Sàrl provides applied ecology and nature/landscape consulting services, including floristic and faunistic inventories, environmental impact assessments, species conservation concepts, agricultural-nature advisory, and bilingual scientific translation. The firm supports Swiss federal and cantonal authorities, agricultural organizations, NGOs, and infrastructure clients with field surveys, long-term monitoring, and conservation planning.

Product overview

ATENA atelier nature Sàrl is a nature and landscape consultancy firm founded in 1995 and based in Fribourg, Switzerland. The company offers a comprehensive suite of environmental consulting services organized into six interconnected service areas: Natural Habitats (milieux naturels), Landscape and Spatial Planning (paysage et aménagement), Agriculture and Nature (agriculture et nature), Species Conservation (conservation des espèces), Surveys and Inventories (relevés et inventaires), and Translation and Communication (traduction et communication). The team comprises specialists in agronomy, geography, biology, and literature who work together on projects related to nature and landscape, including floristic surveys, landscape analyses, and the maintenance and enhancement of natural habitats. The company operates within the InfoHabitat network and collaborates extensively with Swiss federal and cantonal authorities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Milieux naturels / Lebensräume (Natural Habitats) Conservation of natural habitats and biodiversity promotion, including natural environment studies, quality evaluation, and proposal of conservation and enhancement measures for government authorities and conservation organizations.
• Paysage et aménagement du territoire / Landschaft und Raumplanung (Landscape and Spatial Planning) Supports authorities and partners in preserving and enhancing landscape and ecological values through landscape studies, management plans, and impact assessments for territorial planning and infrastructure projects.
• Agriculture et nature / Landwirtschaft und Natur (Agriculture and Nature) Supports farmers and authorities in finding environmentally friendly solutions for sustainable agriculture, biodiversity promotion, and maintenance of near-natural management practices, including biodiversity quality assessments and ecological network implementation.
• Conservation des espèces / Artenschutz (Species Conservation) Protection of rare animal and plant species through surface analysis, protection and promotion concepts, planning and support for creating natural habitats for threatened species, including specialized moth (nocturnal lepidoptera) surveys.
• Relevés et inventaires / Kartierung und Inventare (Surveys and Inventories) Creation of inventories including method development, field surveys, and long-term monitoring; specializes in botanical and faunistic surveys with particular focus on nocturnal lepidoptera (moths), used by federal offices, cantonal administrations, and conservation NGOs.
• Traduction et communication / Übersetzung und Kommunikation (Translation and Communication) Specialized German-French and French-German translation of scientific and popular scientific texts in nature conservation and agriculture, plus organized excursions, workshops, and training sessions; serves Agroscope, BAFU, and other federal agencies.

Quantifiable outcome

• Long-term vegetation monitoring since 2005 at Vanil Noir reserve (Pro Natura)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• InfoHabitat (Réseau InfoHabitat)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017InfoHabitat is a network partner in the Biotope Advice service provided on behalf of BAFU/FOEN. The company serves as the responsible entity for the national inventory of dry meadows and pastures, as well as moorland landscapes, working in collaboration with InfoHabitat network. This is a long-standing partnership since 2017 supporting federal implementation of nature conservation inventories.
• Swiss Federal Railways (SBB/CFF)minorOthersProvides floristic surveys in the context of environmental impact assessments for SBB railway construction works in nationally significant floodplain areas.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Hotz & Wacker AG: Swiss environmental consultancy providing biodiversity/habitat inventories, species protection concepts, and landscape planning in German-speaking Switzerland — overlapping strongly with ATENA's Surveys & Inventories and Species Conservation services.
• Hintermann & Weber AG: Swiss ecological consultancy based in Reinach (BL) offering botanical/faunistic inventories, biotope mapping, ecological networks, and EIA support to federal/cantonal clients — directly comparable to ATENA's core service portfolio in Switzerland.
• Synergie GmbH: Swiss-German environmental consultancy (Synergie Umwelt GmbH) providing biotope mapping, vegetation surveys, and conservation planning to cantonal and federal authorities — comparable in scale and project type to ATENA.

Broad incumbents

• Basler & Hofmann AG: Large Swiss engineering and environmental consultancy handling EIA and landscape planning for major infrastructure and rail projects (including SBB) — operates as a broader incumbent into whose framework contracts ATENA is sometimes contracted as a specialist subconsultant.
• Seecon (formerly Seecon GmbH): Swiss consulting firm working on water, climate, and ecological infrastructure — overlaps with ATENA's ecological infrastructure and habitat restoration work while operating at a broader portfolio scale.
• Ernst Basler + Partner AG: Swiss consulting firm covering environmental and economic policy, sustainability assessment, and nature/biodiversity projects — competes in some cantonal biodiversity tenders and overlaps on environmental planning work.
• Biotope SARL: French environmental consultancy specializing in biodiversity inventories and ecological engineering — relevant comparison for ATENA's survey and species conservation methodology at a larger French/European scale.

Regional players

• ECO-MED SARL: French ecological consultancy (Provence) delivering faunistic/floristic inventories, species protection plans, and EIA support — comparable methodology and client base to ATENA, but operating primarily in France with limited Swiss overlap.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ATENA atelier nature Sàrl