Defensores de la Naturaleza

What Defensores de la Naturaleza does

Defensores de la Naturaleza (legal name: Fundación Defensores de la Naturaleza) is a Guatemalan non-profit civil foundation founded in 1983 by conservationists Thor Janson and Magaly Rey Rosa and formally registered as a non-profit in 1986. The foundation co-manages four protected natural areas totaling over 466,000 hectares with the Consejo Nacional de Áreas Protegidas (CONAP): Parque Nacional Sierra del Lacandón (202,865 ha, Petén, within the Maya Biosphere Reserve), Reserva de Biósfera Sierra de las Minas (approximately 242,642 ha, spanning five departments and recognized by UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere Programme), Refugio de Vida Silvestre Bocas del Polochic (20,760 ha, Izabal, a Ramsar wetland site), and Parque Nacional Naciones Unidas (372 ha, Amatitlán). The organization operates from a headquarters in Guatemala City and five regional offices covering Petén, Verapaces, Polochic, Motagua, and Villa Nueva, staffed by 101-250 employees. It was the first civil foundation in Latin America to take co-responsibility for a protected area, beginning with Sierra de las Minas in 1990.

The foundation operates through five strategic pillars: Natural Areas and Biodiversity, Climate Action and Resilience, Environmental Education and Awareness, Citizen Advocacy, and Organizational Development. Its core services are not technology products but program delivery: governance and surveillance of co-administered parks, fire prevention and management, reforestation and landscape restoration, the REDD+ 'Bosques para la vida' carbon project (which achieved international certification of 1.8 million tCO2eq through deforestation reduction), the EDUCONAP environmental education curriculum, and citizen-policy advocacy training. Quantitative programmatic outcomes reported for 2021-2022 include 124 environmental education talks reaching 3,657 people, 783 visitors to biological stations, and 254,960 visitors to Parque Naciones Unidas.

The business model is a non-profit funding stack that combines individual and corporate donations (collected via domestic bank transfers and the Conservation Allies channel for international donors), international grants (notably USAID's 'Bienestar por Biodiversidad' started in 2023, plus prior German IKI funding), and government co-management agreements with CONAP, MAGA, and INAB. Pricing is not applicable as the foundation sells no commercial products; it monetizes its conservation outcomes indirectly through the carbon credit market. Customer segments are non-traditional: 280,000+ residents of 208 communities living within protected areas constitute the primary stakeholder base, alongside individual donors, international organizations (TNC, WWF, IUCN, UNESCO), twelve municipalities, and the Guatemalan public. Revenue figures are not publicly disclosed; the foundation publishes annual financial audit reports.

Name

Defensores de la Naturaleza

Legal name

Fundación Defensores de la Naturaleza

Website

https://defensores.org.gt

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Defensores de la Naturaleza is a Guatemalan non-profit civil foundation that co-manages four protected natural areas covering over 466,000 hectares for CONAP, delivering biodiversity conservation, climate action, environmental education, and community development programs funded by international grants, government co-management, and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Conservation Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Forestry (800)

akta.pro primary industry

Land Trusts & Protected Areas (BPAGAGAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Biodiversity & Habitat Conservation (BPAGAGAA), Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (BPAGAGAI)

Keywords

• Protected area management
• Biodiversity conservation
• Environmental education
• Carbon offset certification
• Community conservation

Headquarters

HQ city

Ciudad De Guatemala

HQ country

Guatemala

HQ region

Latin America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations: Individual and corporate donations received through their website platform and bank transfers to support conservation efforts.
2. International Cooperation and Grants: Funding from international organizations, development agencies (USAID), and foundations that support environmental conservation projects.
3. Government Partnerships: Co-management agreements with government bodies for protected area administration.
4. Conservation Allies Platform: Partnership with Conservation Allies for international donations, with 100% of donations going directly to the organization.

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Defensores de la Naturaleza is a Guatemalan non-profit civil foundation that co-manages four protected natural areas in Guatemala (Parque Nacional Sierra del Lacandón, Reserva de Biósfera Sierra de las Minas, Refugio de Vida Silvestre Bocas del Polochic, and Parque Nacional Naciones Unidas) covering over 466,000 hectares. Its work is organized around five strategic pillars: natural areas and biodiversity, climate action and resilience, environmental education, citizen advocacy, and organizational development, delivered through community-based alliances with local communities, government partners, and international donors.

Product overview

Defensores de la Naturaleza is a non-profit conservation foundation operating since 1983 that manages a portfolio of environmental programs rather than a traditional software product. The core offering consists of co-management services for four protected natural areas covering over 466,000 hectares in Guatemala, delivered through five interconnected strategic pillars: Natural Areas and Biodiversity, Climate Action and Resilience, Environmental Education, Citizen Advocacy, and Organizational Development. Each pillar encompasses specific programs including fire management, reforestation, carbon certification (REDD+), environmental education curricula, and policy advocacy. The foundation also operates a donation collection platform for domestic and international contributions. The programs work synergistically toward long-term natural resource conservation through community partnerships and governmental collaboration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Protected Areas Management Services Co-management of four protected natural areas in Guatemala (Parque Nacional Sierra del Lacandón 202,865 ha, Reserva de Biósfera Sierra de las Minas 242,642 ha, Refugio de Vida Silvestre Bocas del Polochic 20,760 ha, and Parque Nacional Naciones Unidas 372 ha). Provides governance, control and surveillance, forest protection, biological station management, species conservation, and landscape restoration programs in partnership with CONAP.
• Climate Action and Resilience Programs Initiatives to mitigate climate change effects through community adaptation programs, greenhouse gas reduction, family and community gardens, agroforestry systems, watershed conservation, and ecosystem-based adaptation measures. Includes the REDD+ 'Bosques para la vida' project with 1.8 million tons of carbon equivalent certified.
• Environmental Education and Awareness Formal and non-formal environmental education programs including the EDUCONAP curriculum implemented with CONAP, environmental workshops, community leader training, school programs, and visitor sensitization at biological stations and protected areas across Guatemala.
• Citizen Advocacy and Policy Incidence Political advocacy programs at local and national levels to participate in decision-making and public policy formulation, including citizen participation promotion, community leader and decision-maker training, and organizational strengthening for local associations and cooperatives.
• Organizational Development Services Internal organizational optimization including process standardization, financial sustainability, program execution efficiency, and alliance consolidation. Includes transparency mechanisms, financial culture programs, and fundraising mechanisms for sustained conservation operations.
• Donation Platform Online donation collection system accepting domestic bank transfers to Banco Industrial (Cuenta Monetaria No. 092-004172-0) and international donations via the Conservation Allies platform, where 100% of contributions are routed directly to the foundation.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1.8 million tCO2eq certified through REDD+ 'Bosques para la vida' project
• +5 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major, moderate and minor.

• Consejo Nacional de Áreas Protegidas (CONAP)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1990Government body co-managing all four protected areas with Defensores. CONAP is the national authority for protected areas in Guatemala. The partnership began in 1990 when the Sierra de las Minas Biosphere Reserve was declared and administration was delegated to Defensores.
• The Nature ConservancymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal conservation organization working on environmental protection initiatives.
• WWFmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorld Wildlife Fund - international conservation organization.
• Rainforest AlliancemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational conservation organization focused on sustainable agriculture and forests.
• IUCNmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational Union for Conservation of Nature - global environmental organization.
• UNESCOcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUnited Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization - Sierra de las Minas is recognized within the Man and the Biosphere Programme.
• US Forest ServicemoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnical cooperation on forest management and conservation.
• US Fish and Wildlife ServicemoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerWildlife conservation technical partnership.
• Heifer InternationalmoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization supporting community development and sustainable livelihoods.
• Conservation AlliescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorConservation-focused nonprofit that channels international donations to Defensores, ensuring 100% of donations reach the organization without administrative fees.
• Fundación SigmamoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal foundation supporting conservation and reforestation projects.
• Ministerio de Ambiente y Recursos Naturales de Guatemala (MAGA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment ministry providing institutional support and funding for environmental projects.
• Instituto Nacional de Bosques (INAB)moderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment forestry institute supporting forest conservation.
• Oro VerdeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvironmental organization supporting conservation initiatives.
• Municipalities (La Tinta, Estor, La Libertad, Los Amates, Las Cruces, San Cristóbal, Salama, San Agustín, Teculután, Usumatlán, Panzos, Purulha, Río Hondo)moderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal government partners in communities surrounding protected areas, supporting community development and conservation.
• CEMACOminorGTM or Marketing PartnerGuatemalan retail company participating in environmental initiatives and corporate social responsibility.
• Coca-Cola GuatemalaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner supporting environmental initiatives.
• McDonald's GuatemalaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner in sustainability initiatives.
• Walmart GuatemalaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner in environmental programs.
• Universidad del Valle de GuatemalamoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic institution that provided biological expertise (Drs. Dix and Schuster) for Sierra de las Minas declaration as protected area.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• BirdLife International: Global bird and habitat conservation network with national partners across Latin America; overlaps with Defensores' biodiversity work given the 575 bird species identified in Sierra de las Minas and bird-watching leadership of one of its directors.
• Fauna & Flora International: Smaller global conservation NGO that co-manages protected areas and partners with local NGOs on community-based conservation and species protection, structurally similar to Defensores' four-area co-management model.

Broad incumbents

• Rainforest Alliance: Named strategic partner of Defensores; focuses on sustainable forestry, agriculture, and community livelihoods in tropical forest landscapes — directly overlapping with Defensores' agroforestry and community-based pillars.
• Conservation International: International conservation organization operating in Guatemala with Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund grants and forest-carbon (REDD+) programs directly comparable to Defensores' portfolio.
• World Wildlife Fund (WWF): Global conservation NGO and named partner of Defensores; works on protected-area management, community-based conservation, and forest/climate programs across Mesoamerica with similar stakeholder structures.
• Wildlife Conservation Society: Operates large protected-area programs in Mesoamerica, including Guatemala and Petén (Maya Biosphere), with comparable community-alliance, anti-poaching, and species-monitoring mandates.
• The Nature Conservancy: One of the world's largest conservation NGOs; a named strategic partner of Defensores and operates in Guatemala and across Latin America with co-management, protected-area, and climate-finance programs that closely mirror Defensores' model.

Regional players

• Fundación para el Desarrollo Integral (FUNDAP-) and other Guatemalan conservation foundations: Regional/Guatemalan peer nonprofits operating community-development and conservation programs in similar geographies; comparable in scale and structure as local Guatemalan civil foundations.

Direct peers

• Conservation Allies: Nonprofit platform that channels international donations to local conservation organizations including Defensores; directly comparable as a small, mission-aligned NGO operating in the same Guatemala/Latin America ecosystem with similar donor-pass-through models.

Others

• IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature): Named partner of Defensores; sets global protected-area and species standards and works through national committees and commissions that overlap with Defensores' policy advocacy and protected-area management work.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Defensores_FDN
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@DefensoresdelaNaturaleza
• Facebookfacebook.com/defensoresdelanaturaleza
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/defensores-de-la-naturaleza
• Instagraminstagram.com/defensoresdelanaturaleza
• TikToktiktok.com/@defensoresgt

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Defensores de la Naturaleza