Fundación Herencia Ambiental Caribe

What Fundación Herencia Ambiental Caribe does

Fundación Herencia Ambiental Caribe is a Colombian non-profit foundation headquartered in Santa Marta, Magdalena, that promotes the conservation and restoration of environmental, natural, and social resources in the Colombian Caribbean. It executes a portfolio of community-based conservation projects — including the Socio-Ecosystem Connectivity Corridors (PCSE) in Montes de María and La Guajira, the Caribbean Feline Conservation Plan (jaguar, puma, ocelot), the Guardianes de Chiribiquete environmental-education program, aquifer recharge for the Ciénaga Grande de Santa Marta, and restoration of Zenú ancestral hydraulic channels for community climate adaptation — together with an agricultural water-efficiency program in the Magdalena coffee region covering 18,000 hectares and 5,000+ smallholder farmers.

Its operational core is a community-based methodology that combines socio-ecosystem corridor restoration, silvopastoral systems, agroforestry, aquifer management, and climate adaptation, deployed through conservation agreements with rural families (180+ in Montes de María, 30 in La Guajira) backed by technical assistance, agricultural inputs, and capacity building. Scientific leadership is anchored by Director Carlos Castaño-Uribe, discoverer of Serranía de Chiribiquete and former national Vice Minister of Environment.

The foundation's revenue mix is grant-heavy and diversified across institutional and individual streams: multi-year project grants from the Government of the Netherlands (Partners for Water, 2024), KfW (German Development Bank, 2022), the Fondo Colombia en Paz / Colombia Sustainable program (2019), and USAID / Programa Riqueza Natural (supporting the Ñami Chips product). Individual donations flow through the #AmigosDelJaguar monthly program (COP$10,000/month) and solidarity merchandise (scarves designed by Catalina Estrada). Distribution to communities is direct (field teams and signed conservation agreements), to institutional partners via co-implementation with Parques Nacionales and regional autonomous corporations (Corpamag, Corpoguajira), and to donors via online forms, Bancolombia transfers, and a partner retail gift shop.

Name

Fundación Herencia Ambiental Caribe

Legal name

Fundación Herencia Ambiental Caribe

Website

https://herenciaambiental.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Fundación Herencia Ambiental Caribe is a Colombian non-profit foundation that delivers community-based environmental conservation — ecological corridor restoration, jaguar and protected-area protection, agricultural water efficiency, and climate adaptation — across the Colombian Caribbean, funded by international grants and individual donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Conservation Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Support Activities for Forestry (1153)

SIC

Forestry (800), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Forestry & Reforestation (BPAGAGAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community Forestry & Indigenous Land Stewardship Services (IMAMAJAM), Ecosystem Services & Natural Capital Programs (Water, Biodiversity Credits, PES) (IMAMAJAK), Biodiversity Conservation & Habitat Banking (AFAMAMAC), Environmental Conservation & Sustainability Volunteering (EDAIAGAB)

Keywords

• Environmental conservation
• Wildlife protection
• Ecosystem restoration
• Biodiversity preservation
• Sustainable development

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Marta

HQ country

Colombia

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations (#AmigosDelJaguar): Monthly donations of COP$10,000 from individual supporters globally. Annual commitments of COP$120,000 receive solidarity scarves designed by Catalina Estrada. Donations fund conservation activities, community support materials (notebooks, seeds, agricultural inputs), park ranger contracting, and land titling costs for participating families.
2. International Development Grants: Funding from international donors including the Government of the Netherlands (via Partners for Water program), KfW (German Development Bank) for the La Guajira project, and bilateral cooperation programs. Also includes funding from Fondo Colombia en Paz through the Colombia Sustainable Program for Montes de María restoration.
3. Community Incentive Products (Ñami Chips): The foundation supports participating families in developing and commercializing products derived from sustainable production — such as Ñami Chips (yuca chips) — as conservation incentives, opening new markets for farmers who commit to forest protection.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The foundation implements environmental conservation projects across the Colombian Caribbean, focusing on ecosystem restoration, big cat (jaguar) protection, water resource management, and community-based sustainable development. It sustains these conservation efforts through a diversified funding model that includes an individual donor subscription program (AmigosDelJaguar), grant-funded institutional projects, and the sale of branded merchandise and native-food products (Ñami Chips, Solidarity Handkerchiefs).

Product overview

Fundación Herencia Ambiental Caribe operates as a conservation organization rather than a technology product company. Its offerings consist of environmental conservation projects focused on Colombian Caribbean ecosystems, a monthly donation program (AmigosDelJaguar) with merchandise rewards, food products like Ñami Chips yam snacks, and scientific publications on biodiversity conservation. The conservation projects include socio-ecosystem connectivity corridors, jaguar conservation plans, Chiribiquete guardians education, water efficiency initiatives, and ancestral Zenú channel restoration. The organization connects its conservation mission with community incentives including agricultural products and ecotourism development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• AmigosDelJaguar

Quantifiable outcome

• 5,000 hectares of tropical dry forest protected in Montes de María
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Fundación Proyecto TitícoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 February 2016Alliance between FHAC and Fundación Proyecto Tití to support and expand a program in which farmers commit to protecting and/or reforesting their lands in exchange for technical assistance and inputs for sustainable practices (sustainable agriculture, chicken and bee farming, irrigation systems). The program operates in San Juan Nepomuceno (Montes de María) to conserve titi monkey habitat and connecting forest corridors.
• Corpamag (Corporación Autónoma Regional del Magdalena)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 December 2014In 2014, Corpamag and FHAC formalized a partnership for jaguar protection in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. The project in the Siberia corregimiento (Ciénaga municipality, Magdalena) develops an action plan to prevent, mitigate, and monitor threats to jaguar populations, combining scientific and community-based approaches.
• Parques Nacionales Naturales de Colombia (PNN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFHAC works in formal agreement with Parques Nacionales Naturales on multiple projects including Serranía de Chiribiquete (Guardianes de Chiribiquete program), Los Colorados Wildlife Sanctuary (Montes de María), and Los Flamencos Fauna and Flora Sanctuary (La Guajira). PNN provides institutional framework and co-implements conservation activities in national protected areas.
• AidEnvironmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAidEnvironment leads the consortium implementing the water efficiency project in the Magdalena coffee sector (Partners for Water funding). FHAC is a key implementation partner providing on-the-ground community engagement with coffee farming communities.
• CorpoguajiracoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorpoguajira is a key partner in the Camarones River basin conservation project, providing environmental authority support and control activities for the Los Flamencos Fauna and Flora Sanctuary. Corpoguajira and allied organizations signed a 'Voluntades Agreement' in December 2025 for the conservation of the Tomarrazón-Camarones River basin.
• Creame Incubadora de EmpresasminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCreame Incubadora de Empresas led the product development process for Ñami Chips, an innovative yuca chip product created as a conservation incentive for Montes de María families. The initiative was also supported by the USAID-funded Programa Riqueza Natural.
• Water as Leverage (WaL) Cartagena ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFHAC participates in the Water as Leverage Cartagena — 'Construyendo con el agua' program, which combines research, design, and implementation through coalitions of local and international actors. The program addresses climate change impacts on Cartagena (sea level rise, coastal erosion, flooding) through nature-based solutions and community-driven adaptation strategies.
• FAO / Conexión BiocaribeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFAO's Conexión Biocaribe project provided co-funding for community primate monitoring in the Los Colorados Wildlife Sanctuary area. Support was channeled through MOAM enterprise and the Mohamed bin Zayed Conservation Fund.
• Catalina Estrada (Artist)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerArtist Catalina Estrada creates illustrations for FHAC's solidarity scarves, featuring flora and fauna of the Montes de María tropical dry forest and Chiribiquete. Her artwork adorns the pañuelos that donors receive, helping amplify the conservation message to her audience.
• KawanimalsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerKawanimals creates educational content for children about Chiribiquete and the jaguar network, including the character Namaku the jaguar. Downloads of educational activities are available through their platform, helping spread conservation awareness to young audiences.
• InvemarminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInvemar implements the GEF project 'Conservación y Uso Sostenible de la Ciénaga Grande de Santa Marta' within which FHAC's Partners for Water water efficiency project in the coffee sector is executed, linking on-farm practices to downstream Ramsar site protection.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Patrimonio Natural Fondo para la Biodiversidad y Áreas Protegidas: Colombian environmental fund focused on financing and consolidating the National Protected Areas System, including partnerships with Parques Nacionales. Directly comparable mission of supporting protected-area management in Colombia and a natural counterpart for co-financing opportunities.
• Fundación Natura Colombia: One of the oldest and largest Colombian environmental NGOs, working on biodiversity conservation, climate change, and sustainable production across multiple regions of Colombia. Highly comparable in mission, geographic footprint, and community-engagement approach to Fundación Herencia Ambiental Caribe.
• Fundación ProAves: Colombian bird and biodiversity conservation foundation operating a network of nature reserves across Colombia, with strong community engagement and ecotourism components. Directly comparable as a Colombian nonprofit combining scientific research, habitat protection, and community-based conservation.
• Fondo Acción: Colombian environmental fund (Fondo para la Acción Ambiental y la Niñez) that channels bilateral and multilateral donor funding to local environmental NGOs and community-based projects. Comparable as a partner and as a comparable nonprofit operating model in Colombia's environmental financing ecosystem.
• Fundación Santo Domingo: Major Colombian foundation with a long-running Montes de María program, including the 5,000-hectare tropical dry forest alliance cited in the subject company's data. Direct regional peer for community-based conservation in the Montes de María landscape.

Broad incumbents

• WWF Colombia: Country office of a global NGO working on landscape conservation, freshwater, and sustainable production across Colombia's priority biomes. Highly comparable in community-based landscape conservation but with materially greater funding, staff, and brand reach.
• Conservation International Colombia: Global conservation organization with a long-standing Colombia program focused on Chocó biogeográfico, Amazon, and Caribbean biodiversity. Comparable in science-driven approach and government partnerships; broader geographic scope and substantially larger funding base.
• WCS Colombia (Wildlife Conservation Society): Country program of a global wildlife NGO with active jaguar, protected-area, and community conservation work in the Colombian Amazon and Orinoquía. Comparable in feline conservation and protected-area partnerships; broader global footprint and budget.

Emerging players

• Rainforest Alliance Latin America: International NGO operating sustainable-landscape and community-livelihood programs across Latin America, including certification and community conservation in Colombia's coffee and agricultural landscapes. Comparable in coffee-sector and smallholder community work; broader international scope.
• AidEnvironment: Dutch sustainability consultancy leading the Partners for Water consortium in which the subject foundation participates. Direct operational peer as a project-implementation partner in landscape-level water and biodiversity programs in Colombia and Latin America.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC_HQQgZfWzCisC0npJf4DxA/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/FundacionHerenciaAmbiental
• Instagraminstagram.com/fundacion_herencia
• Xx.com/fundacionttii

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Fundación Herencia Ambiental Caribe