Biofokus

What Biofokus does

Stiftelsen Biofokus is a Norwegian non-profit foundation (Org.nr 982 132 924) headquartered at Gaustadalléen 21, Oslo, providing biodiversity documentation and nature management services to Norwegian public-sector clients. Its core functional offering is species and nature-type mapping using established Norwegian methodologies — MiS (Miljøregistrering i skog), NiN (Natur i Norge), and DN-håndbok 13 — executed by a team of conservation biologists with cross-taxonomic expertise in fungi, lichens, insects, mosses, and vascular plants. Biofokus maintains the proprietary NARIN forest database, which holds two decades of biodiversity records across nearly 2,000 documented forest areas, and contributes staffing and leadership to Artsdatabanken's national red-list expert committees.

The foundation’s commercial footprint is intentionally narrow: revenue is project-based, secured through direct contracts with Norwegian Government Agencies — primarily Miljødirektoratet (Norwegian Environment Agency) and Statsforvalteren (County Governor) — supplemented by commissions from municipalities (Oslo, Bærum, Horten, Lørenskog and others) for planning-process biodiversity work, and minor book/field-guide revenue from the co-published signal-species handbook distributed via NOA-butikken and Natur og Fritid. Its secondary reach extends to forest owners participating in voluntary forest conservation (frivillig vern av skog), with 112 such areas assessed in 2020 yielding 150 red-listed species and 396 delineated core nature-type localities. The organization has recently used its independent scientific standing to publish critical reports on the quality of forestry-industry MiS surveys (Kartleggingsskandalen i Follsjå, June 2026) and to take on national wetland monitoring (ANO Våtmark) for Miljødirektoratet.

The business model is a non-profit foundation structure (stiftelse) with no external shareholders, no disclosed funding rounds, and no parent company; all activity is funded through competitive public-sector project contracts. Distribution is direct-to-government via commissioned work; the education/community channels (courses, webinars, social media) primarily serve brand-building and citizen-science recruitment rather than lead generation for paid engagements.

Name

Biofokus

Legal name

Stiftelsen Biofokus

Website

https://biofokus.no

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Stiftelsen Biofokus is a Norwegian non-profit foundation providing independent biodiversity documentation, nature-type mapping, and red-list assessment services to government agencies, municipalities, and forest owners, using proprietary MiS/NiN methodologies and the NARIN forest database.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental and Conservation Consulting Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Forestry (1153), Environmental Consulting Services (541620), Administration of Conservation Programs (92412)

SIC

Forestry (800)

akta.pro primary industry

Biodiversity Baseline Studies & Long-Term Monitoring Programs (EUAHAHAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Monitoring, Survival Surveys & Carbon/MRV Services (Remote Sensing, Field Audits) (AFAMACAO), Forest Inventory, Mapping & Monitoring (GIS/Remote Sensing/MRV) (IMAMAJAB), Wildlife, Biodiversity & Habitat Conservation Administration (BPAIAMAG)

Keywords

• Biodiversity assessment services
• Nature type mapping
• Species documentation surveys
• Forest conservation consulting
• Environmental research

Headquarters

HQ city

Oslo

HQ country

Norway

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Biofokus is a Norwegian conservation biology foundation that provides professional biodiversity assessment services, including species surveys, nature type mapping, and red-listed species documentation, primarily for Norwegian government agencies, county governors, and municipalities. The organization also develops scientific publications, field handbooks, and operates the NARIN forest database for managing forest biodiversity data.

Product overview

Biofokus is a Norwegian conservation biology foundation (Stiftelsen Biofokus) offering biodiversity assessment services, scientific publications, and the NARIN forest database. Their portfolio includes species and nature type mapping, forest conservation assessments, and field handbooks for species identification. The organization provides expert consultancy services to public authorities and operates the NARIN forest database as their primary data platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• NARIN: Norwegian Arctic inventory database and forest database operated by Biofokus

Products and services

• Biodiversity Assessment Services (Tjenester)

Quantifiable outcome

• 150 red-listed species documented in a single 2020 survey of 112 forest areas offered for voluntary conservation
• +3 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, major, notable and minor.

• Artsdatabanken (Norwegian Biodiversity Information Centre)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 November 2025Biofokus participates in national red-list assessments through Artsdatabanken. Torbjørn Høitomt led the assessment work for nature types on dry ground in the 2025 Norwegian Red List for Nature Types. Seven Biofokus staff members contributed to 13 expert committees for the 2021 Norwegian Red List for Species.
• Miljødirektoratet (Norwegian Environment Agency)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBiofokus conducts biodiversity surveys and forest nature type mapping on commission for Miljødirektoratet. Projects include assessing nature values in areas offered for voluntary forest conservation.
• Statsforvalteren (County Governor)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMultiple commissioned projects for Statsforvalteren in different counties covering species surveys, habitat monitoring, and conservation planning, including monitoring programs for wetlands (ANO Våtmark) and surveys on behalf of Statsforvalteren in Østfold, Buskerud, Oslo and Akershus.
• Norsk institutt for naturforskning (NINA)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBiofokus collaborated with NINA on a project for Oslo municipality developing a network of ecological corridors in Marka. NINA's independent research on forestry industry environmental surveys (MiS) in Follsjå supported Biofokus's earlier critical findings.
• Sabima (Norwegian Association for Outdoor Recreation)notableStrategic or Co-development PartnerBiofokus collaborated with Sabima and Naturvernforbundet i Oslo og Akershus to produce the field guide 'Artsmangfold i skog – en håndbok om signalarter på Østlandet'. Sabima's General Secretary praised volunteer mappers' contributions to biodiversity knowledge.
• Naturvernforbundet i Oslo og Akershus (Nature Conservancy Oslo/Akershus)notableStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-published the field guide 'Artsmangfold i skog' together with Biofokus and Sabima. Operates the NOA-butikken retail outlet where the book is sold.
• NIBIO (Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNIBIO's independent report on MiS environmental registrations in Follsjå (2021) supported Biofokus's critical findings about inadequate forestry industry biodiversity surveys. NIBIO found 2-3 times more life environments in follow-up surveys compared to original industry mappings.
• Norwegian municipalities (Oslo, Horten, Lørenskog, Bærum, and others)notableStrategic or Co-development PartnerBiofokus conducts nature documentation projects for multiple Norwegian municipalities in connection with municipal planning processes, including work on Oslo's islands and urban nature areas.
• Norsk Botanisk Forening (Norwegian Botanical Society)notableStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-hosting a deep-dive webinar on the 2025 Norwegian Red List for Nature Types on December 4, following the official launch by Artsdatabanken on November 26.
• Glommen Mjøsen SkogminorOthersGlommen Mjøsen Skog is a forestry company whose MiS environmental surveys in Follsjå were critically assessed in Biofokus's 2026 report. This is a subject of critique rather than a partnership.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Norconsult: Norway's largest engineering consultancy with a broad environmental and ecology practice; offers overlapping nature-survey services as part of a wider portfolio and competes with Biofokus on municipal and infrastructure-related biodiversity contracts.
• Wetlands International: Global NGO dedicated to wetland conservation and monitoring, broadly relevant to Biofokus's newly launched ANO Våtmark wetland monitoring programme for Miljødirektoratet — a much larger incumbent operating across many countries.
• Asplan Viak: Norwegian planning and engineering consultancy with an established ecology/biologisk mangfold practice servicing municipalities and developers; competes for the same urban-planning nature documentation work Biofokus does for Norwegian kommuner.
• Rambøll Norge: Norwegian operations of Ramboll Group delivering environmental, biodiversity and sustainability consulting within a much broader engineering portfolio; materially comparable on Norwegian public-sector environmental and planning assignments.

Direct peers

• Faun Naturforvaltning: Norwegian ecological consultancy active in species mapping, conservation area assessments and biodiversity monitoring — overlaps with Biofokus on the same Norwegian public-sector contractor landscape.
• Rådgivende Biologer: Private Norwegian biology consultancy delivering species surveys, environmental impact assessments and nature-type mapping on contract — a close operational twin to Biofokus's project-based service model, competing for similar public-sector work.
• NINA: Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (Norsk Institutt for NAturforskning) is Norway's leading applied ecology research foundation, conducting species, biodiversity and ecosystem research directly overlapping with Biofokus's mapping and species documentation mandate. Already an operational collaborator in projects such as the Marka ecological-corridor study.
• NIBIO: Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research is a government research institute producing environmental, forestry and biodiversity science; it is functionally comparable to Biofokus on forest-environmental mapping and has already engaged with Biofokus's critical MiS findings.
• Ecofact: Norwegian environmental consultancy providing biodiversity surveys, impact assessments and ecological fieldwork for public and private clients; directly comparable to Biofokus on nature-type mapping and species documentation in Norway.

Emerging players

• NatureMetrics: UK-based biodiversity data and eDNA analytics company serving corporate ESG/TNFD reporting; complementary rather than direct in technology, but competes for emerging private-sector nature monitoring spend driven by the same regulatory tailwinds that help Biofokus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/BioFokus
• Facebookfacebook.com/498148823661178
• Instagraminstagram.com/stiftelsen_biofokus
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/biofokus

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Biofokus