What Cardique does

Cardique (Corporación Autónoma Regional del Canal del Dique) is a Colombian Regional Autonomous Corporation operating as a decentralized government environmental authority under the Ministry of Environment. Established under Law 99 of 1993, it holds exclusive statutory jurisdiction over environmental matters in the north and central Bolívar department, including the Canal del Dique watershed and Cartagena Bay. Its primary functions include issuing environmental permits and licenses, monitoring water and air quality, enforcing environmental compliance, managing wildlife protection programs, and coordinating sustainable development initiatives with municipal governments.

The corporation's service portfolio combines regulatory functions with digital infrastructure. Core offerings include transactional environmental permitting (water concessions, emission licenses, forestry permits, discharge authorizations), an accredited environmental laboratory performing microbiological and physicochemical analysis of surface water, groundwater, drinking water, wastewater, soils, and sediments, and the retributiva rate (usage-based pollution fee on point-source discharges). Technology platforms include the Ambientic mobile application for citizen environmental surveillance with drone and vessel integration, the Sistema IGUANAS internal management system, the PQRSDF citizen request portal, and the Observatorio de Calidad Ambiental. Supporting initiatives include green business certification (Negocios Verdes), wildlife rescue, and agroforestry projects.

Revenue is generated through transactional permit fees, laboratory service charges set under Resolution 0070 of 2026, usage-based retributiva pollution rates, and thermal power plant payments, with oversight from the Colombian national treasury. Director General Ángelo Bacci Hernández, elected in April 2024, was subsequently elected president of Asocars (the national association of regional environmental authorities) in April 2026. The corporation operates under the Plan de Acción Cuatrienal 2024-2027 and won the Premio Nacional Expo I 2026 for its 'Ecosistema Inteligente de Gestión y Calidad Ambiental' initiative.

Name

Cardique

Legal name

Corporación Autónoma Regional del Canal del Dique

Website

https://cardique.gov.co

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Cardique (Corporación Autónoma Regional del Canal del Dique) is a Colombian regional environmental authority exercising exclusive jurisdiction over environmental permitting, monitoring, and enforcement in the north and central Bolívar department, including the Canal del Dique watershed and Cartagena Bay.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Regulatory Services

NAICS

Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (9241), Administration of Conservation Programs (92412), Support Activities for Forestry (1153), Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (924)

SIC

Forestry (800), Electric, Gas & Sanitary Services (4900)

akta.pro primary industry

Environmental Permitting & Impact Assessment (EIA/NEPA) (BPAIAMAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Parks, Recreation & Protected Areas Administration (BPAIAMAH), Timberland Compliance, Permitting & Regulatory Management (AFAMAKAF), Eco-Certification, Auditing & Standards (Green Lodging, Tour Operator Certification) (THAAANAA)

Keywords

• Environmental regulatory services
• Environmental permitting
• Water quality testing
• Citizen surveillance systems
• Wildlife conservation

Headquarters

HQ city

Cartagena

HQ country

Colombia

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Environmental Permits and Authorizations: Fees collected for environmental permits including emission permits, water concessions, waste discharge permits, forestry permits, and other regulatory authorizations required by businesses and projects in the jurisdiction
2. Laboratory Services: Charges for environmental laboratory analysis services including water quality testing, soil analysis, and other environmental sample testing for clients
3. Retributiva Rate (Water Pollution Fee): Fees charged for point source pollution discharges to water resources under the national retributiva (polluter pays) framework
4. Centrales Térmicas (Thermal Plants) Payments: Payments from thermal power plants for environmental monitoring and regulatory services

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Cardique is a Colombian regional environmental authority that issues environmental permits and authorizations (water concessions, discharge permits, emission permits, forestry permits, environmental licenses), operates an accredited environmental quality laboratory for water, soil, and sediment analysis, and provides citizen-facing environmental surveillance and complaint management through the Ambientic mobile app, PQRSDF portal, and Sistema IGUANAS management platform. The organization also runs wildlife protection and conservation programs, green business certification (Negocios Verdes), and sustainable development initiatives across the Canal del Dique jurisdiction in north and central Bolívar.

Product overview

Cardique (Corporación Autónoma Regional del Canal del Dique) is a Colombian regional environmental authority offering a unified platform of environmental management services rather than a single commercial product. The core offering consists of Ambientic (a citizen environmental surveillance mobile app), the PQRSDF citizen request system, Sistema IGUANAS environmental monitoring, and the Portal de Atención al Ciudadano for centralized citizen services. Supporting modules include the Laboratorio de Calidad Ambiental (environmental testing laboratory), Ventanilla única de negocios verdes (green business portal), App Visitas (field inspection app), Observatorio de calidad ambiental (environmental observatory), online payment systems for thermal plant fees, and the Biblioteca Digital for institutional documentation. The organization primarily operates government-mandated environmental regulatory functions rather than commercial software products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Ambientic Mobile application that converts citizens into environmental guardians by enabling real-time reporting of environmental crimes and incidents. Strengthens surveillance, control, and coordination between authorities and the community. Incorporates drone monitoring and specialized boats to protect the Bay of Cartagena, Ciénaga de la Virgen, and strategic ecosystems.
• Laboratorio de Calidad Ambiental Cardique Accredited environmental quality laboratory providing microbiological and physicochemical analysis of surface water, groundwater, drinking water, wastewater, soils, and sediments. Services are available to external clients and tariffs are fixed by Resolution 0070 of 2026.
• Portal de Atención al Ciudadano Centralized citizen service portal providing access to Cardique's procedures, information, PQRSDF submissions, appointment scheduling, and service requests for residents of the north and center of the Bolívar department.
• PQRSDF System (Peticiones, Quejas, Reclamos, Sugerencias, Denuncias y Felicitaciones) Online system enabling citizens to submit and track petitions, complaints, claims, suggestions, complaints, and compliments to Cardique through the integrated citizen portal.
• Ventanilla Única de Negocios Verdes Single-window platform for green business registration, certification, and support that facilitates sustainable entrepreneurship in the region, including the IX Feria de Negocios Verdes that hosted over 70 sustainable entrepreneurs and awarded 35 sustainable entrepreneurship certifications.

Quantifiable outcome

• Premio Expo I 2026 - National recognition for 'Ecosistema Inteligente de Gestión y Calidad Ambiental' initiative
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• CVC (Corporación Autónoma Regional del Valle del Cauca)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 April 2026Joint wildlife conservation operations. Collaborated on release of 429 wild animals and rescue of 'La Ñata' (Crocodile). Active partnership in fauna protection and environmental enforcement.
• DAGMA (Departamento Administrativo de Gestión del Medio Ambiente)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 April 2026Joint conservation initiative with CVC and DAGMA for wildlife rescue and release operations. 429 animals returned to habitat through coordinated effort.
• Asocars (Asociación de Corporaciones Autónomas Regionales y de Desarrollo Sostenible)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 April 2026National association of Regional Environmental Authorities. Cardique Director Ángelo Bacci elected as president of Asocars, representing CARs and Development Sustainable Corporations nationwide.
• Ministerio de Ambiente y Desarrollo SosteniblecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational ministry providing policy direction and coordination on environmental matters including National Natural Parks.
• Policía AmbientalcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerEnvironmental police conducting joint operations against illegal wildlife trafficking on roads.
• Gobernación de BolívarcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDepartmental government collaborating on Paz-Aporte Ambiental educational program and regional environmental initiatives.
• Gobierno de ColombiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational government parent organization. Cardique operates under the Government of Colombia framework with integration through gov.co platforms.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Corpoboyacá: Regional Autonomous Corporation for Boyacá department executing the same mix of environmental permitting, water resource management, and biodiversity conservation functions as Cardique.
• Corporación Autónoma Regional de Cundinamarca (CAR): Largest CAR in Colombia by jurisdiction, covering Cundinamarca department including the Bogotá surroundings. Performs identical environmental authority functions (permits, water management, conservation) on a much larger geographic scale.
• Corpourabá: Regional Autonomous Corporation for the Urabá region in Antioquia, operating an analogous regulatory and environmental management portfolio including permits, watershed oversight, and conservation programs.
• Corporación Autónoma Regional del Valle del Cauca (CVC): Colombian Regional Autonomous Corporation for Valle del Cauca, operating under the same Law 99 of 1993 framework as Cardique with parallel permitting, monitoring, and enforcement functions. Active partner on joint wildlife rescue operations (429 animals), making it the closest functional peer.
• Cornare: Regional Autonomous Corporation serving the eastern Antioquia jurisdiction. Comparable in mandate, scale, and service mix (environmental permits, watershed management, conservation) and a recognized national leader among CARs.
• Departamento Administrativo de Gestión del Medio Ambiente (DAGMA): Municipal-level environmental authority for Santiago de Cali with comparable permitting, inspection, and citizen service functions. Active partner with Cardique and CVC on joint wildlife rescue operations.
• Corantioquia: Regional Autonomous Corporation for the Antioquia department, sharing the broader river basin and ecosystem stewardship function with Cardique under the same Colombian CAR framework.
• Corporación Autónoma Regional de los Valles del Sinú y del San Jorge (CVS): Neighboring CAR covering the Córdoba department with an analogous environmental permitting, monitoring, and conservation mandate. Comparable regional scale to Cardique.

Broad incumbents

• Instituto de Hidrología, Meteorología y Estudios Ambientales (IDEAM): National institute that provides environmental monitoring data, agrometeorological bulletins, and technical input to Cardique. Operates at national scale and supports the regional CARs with scientific infrastructure rather than competing with them.
• Ministerio de Ambiente y Desarrollo Sostenible: National ministry that defines policy and provides oversight for all Colombian CARs including Cardique. Operates one level above Cardique and shapes the regulatory framework in which it operates.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cardique
• Facebookfacebook.com/cardiquecar
• Instagraminstagram.com/cardique_car

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Cardique