Adopteer Regenwoud

What Adopteer Regenwoud does

Adopteer Regenwoud (legally Stichting Work with Nature) is a Dutch nonprofit foundation headquartered in Zegveld, Netherlands, that purchases, protects, and reforests tropical rainforest in the Caribbean lowlands of Costa Rica near San Miguel de Matina, Limon. The foundation was founded in 2010 by Maarten van der Beek and Matthijs, two Dutch founders who first visited Costa Rica in 2002, and has grown the protected reserve from an initial 3 hectares to approximately 278 hectares (2,780,000 m²), with a stated long-term target of 2,000 hectares forming a wildlife corridor between National Park Barbilla and the Bajo Chirripó Indigenous Reserve.

The foundation's core product is direct rainforest adoption at €2.50 per m², delivered through a self-service website supporting iDEAL, PayPal, credit card, SOFORT, and Bancontact payments, with adopters receiving a digital certificate. The product portfolio extends to gift adoptions, a CO2-compensation calculator, corporate adoption and gift programs, legacy/bequest giving, and a community-fundraising tool. The operational backbone combines legal land protection under Costa Rican forest law, reforestation using 14 indigenous fast-growing fruit-bearing tree species (more than 27,500 trees planted on 25 hectares of former pasture), long-term biodiversity research with Utrecht University, and local employment of nine Costa Rican staff alongside Dutch founders and project managers.

Revenue (donation income) is generated from individual donors as the primary segment, supplemented by corporate partners (e.g., Ten Brinke Interieurbeplanting BV) for CSR, sustainable gifts, and CO2 compensation, plus hosting fees from international students conducting research via studytherainforest.com. The foundation is CBF-certified and ANBI-registered, works with Trees for All on reforestation co-financing and carbon certification, and collaborates with Costa Rican authorities MINAE and SINAC for enforcement and biodiversity monitoring.

Name

Adopteer Regenwoud

Legal name

Stichting Work with Nature

Website

https://adopteerregenwoud.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Adopteer Regenwoud (Stichting Work with Nature) is a Dutch nonprofit foundation that purchases and protects Costa Rican rainforest, offering individual m² adoptions at €2.50, corporate partnerships, and biodiversity research for environmentally conscious donors and businesses.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Rainforest Conservation Services

NAICS

Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (71219), Support Activities for Forestry (11531)

SIC

Forestry (800)

akta.pro primary industry

Forestry & Reforestation (BPAGAGAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Invasive Species Control & Site Restoration (Pre/Post Planting) (AFAMACAN), Conservation Easements & Land Trust Services (AFAMAMAH), Reforestation & Afforestation Services (Planting, Site Prep, Regeneration) (IMAMAAAE)

Keywords

• Rainforest conservation
• Biodiversity research
• Carbon offset programs
• Corporate sustainability
• Environmental donations

Headquarters

HQ city

Zegveld

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual adoption donations: Recurring or one-time donations where individuals adopt m² of rainforest at €2.50 per m², receiving a personal adoption certificate
2. Corporate partnerships: Business donations, sustainable corporate gifts, Christmas packages, and CO2 compensation programs for companies
3. Work with Nature internships: Hosting fee for international students conducting research at the reserve

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Adopteer Regenwoud enables individuals and businesses to adopt square meters of Costa Rican rainforest at €2.50 per m², securing long-term legal protection of the land under Costa Rican forest law. Adopters receive a personal digital adoption certificate, with optional CO2-based sizing, gifting, corporate, recurring, and legacy donation variants. The foundation channels adoption fees into land purchase, ranger operations, reforestation of former pastureland with 14 indigenous tree species, and a long-term biodiversity research program run with Utrecht University.

Product overview

Adopteer Regenwoud (operated by Stichting Work with Nature) is a Dutch non-profit foundation offering a suite of products centered on the protection and restoration of tropical rainforest in Costa Rica. Its core product is the 'Regenwoud Adopteren' service, through which individuals adopt square meters of rainforest for €2.50/m², receiving a digital certificate. The portfolio includes a CO2-compensatie calculator for personal emissions offsetting, a 'Regenwoud Cadeau' gift offering, corporate adoption and donation programs, a community fundraising tool ('Start je Eigen Actie'), legacy donation arrangements, and a biodiversity research project run in partnership with Utrecht University. The foundation also produces educational content and the documentary 'Eufonia.' All offerings are anchored to the same on-the-ground conservation work: purchasing, protecting, and reforesting rainforest land in Costa Rica.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Regenwoud Adopteren (Rainforest Adoption) Core offering where individuals adopt square meters of Costa Rican rainforest at €2.50 per m², securing long-term legal protection under Costa Rican forest law and receiving a personal digital adoption certificate. For environmentally conscious donors seeking tangible, certificate-backed conservation impact.
• Regenwoud Cadeau (Rainforest Gift) Gifting offering that allows individuals to give a square meter of rainforest (€2.50 per m²) to family or friends, with the recipient receiving a personal adoption certificate. Designed for birthdays, special occasions, and sustainable gifting.
• Zakelijk Adopteren & Doneren (Corporate Rainforest Adoption and Donation) Corporate program allowing businesses to adopt rainforest for CSR, offset environmental impact, provide sustainable relationship gifts (relatiegeschenken), order sustainable Christmas packages (duurzaam kerstpakket), and run CO2 compensation initiatives. Targeted at companies seeking authentic, audited environmental credentials.
• Start je Eigen Actie (Personal Fundraising Campaign) Self-service community fundraising platform that lets individuals launch their own campaigns to raise funds for rainforest protection on behalf of the foundation. Targeted at individuals who want to mobilize their personal networks for conservation fundraising.
• Nalatenschap (Legacy / Bequest Donation) Arrangement that allows supporters to leave a bequest to Stichting Work with Nature in their will, providing long-term funding for rainforest protection. Targeted at donors planning estate giving in support of conservation.
• Work with Nature Internship / Research Hosting Paid research hosting program at the Work with Nature reserve for international and Dutch university students conducting biology, wildlife management, nature management, water management, and tropical forestry research and thesis work, in partnership with Utrecht University professors Edwin Pos and Yann Hautier.

Quantifiable outcome

• 278 hectares (2.78 million m²) of rainforest protected
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Trees for AllcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Dutch certification body for CO2 compensation projects. Co-financing partner for reforestation projects, including the 25-hectare herbebossing project with 27,500 trees planted. Provides verification and certification of carbon sequestration claims.
• Universiteit Utrecht (Utrecht University)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Long-term research partnership professionalizing biodiversity research. Professors Edwin Pos and Yann Hautier collaborate on flora diversity studies. Students from biology, wildlife management, and tropical forestry programs conduct thesis research at the reserve.
• MINAE (Ministerio de Ambiente y Energía)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCosta Rican Ministry of Environment and Energy. Collaborates on conservation efforts and enforcement of forest protection laws. Part of national conservation committee MAB and Costa Rican Reserve Network (UNESCO Biosphere).
• SINAC (Sistema Nacional de Áreas de Conservación)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational System of Conservation Areas of Costa Rica. Manages National Parks and protected areas. Coordinates with reserve management on anti-poaching patrols and biodiversity monitoring in connected areas.
• National Park BarbillacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdjacent national park forming the core of the wildlife corridor. Reserve expansion connecting to Barbilla creates continuous protected habitat. Joint biodiversity monitoring and anti-poaching efforts.
• DierenPark Amersfoort Wildlife FundminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDutch zoo's wildlife conservation fund. Co-funded construction of observation tower in the reserve. Demonstrates commitment to species conservation and public engagement.
• Global GuardsminorOthersDutch organization supporting conservation projects. Listed as project partner on their platform for Costa Rica conservation.
• First 15minorOthersStartup providing first aid training and kits. Donated emergency medical supplies and training materials for reserve staff and guides.
• Buurtgemeenschap Punta de LanzacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal community including indigenous Cabecar tribe. Collaborative conservation efforts including community house donation, neighborhood wildlife watch, and sustainable agriculture development (agroforestry).

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Cool Earth: UK-registered charity that protects rainforests by working with local communities to keep trees standing; highly comparable donation-driven rainforest protection model with a direct per-area or per-community giving proposition.
• Trees for All: Dutch certified foundation that plants trees and restores forests globally; directly comparable to Adopteer Regenwoud as a Dutch donation-funded reforestation charity and is also an active operational partner in the 25-hectare Costa Rica project.
• Rainforest Foundation US: Non-profit supporting indigenous and community-led tropical forest protection, including in Central America; directly comparable mission and donor-driven land-rights conservation approach.
• World Land Trust: International conservation charity funding the purchase and protection of habitats worldwide through donor-funded land acquisition; directly comparable transaction model and donor proposition to Adopteer Regenwoud.
• Rainforest Trust: US-based conservation charity that purchases and protects threatened rainforest habitat through donations and partnerships; directly comparable model of converting donor dollars into legally protected land in biodiversity hotspots.

Broad incumbents

• Natuurmonumenten: Largest Dutch nature conservation organization managing hundreds of nature reserves across the Netherlands; comparable as a CBF-certified Dutch conservation charity donor base, though primarily focused on Dutch landscapes rather than tropical rainforest.
• Conservation International: Large international conservation organization operating in biodiversity hotspots including Costa Rica; overlaps with Adopteer Regenwoud's mission and geography but at vastly greater scale and scope.
• WWF Netherlands (Wereld Natuur Fonds): Dutch arm of WWF running donor-funded species and habitat protection programs globally; comparable Dutch donor base and CBF-registered charity status, with broader but less localized project focus.

Emerging players

• Tropenbos International: Dutch NGO working on sustainable forest management and tropical forest livelihoods; directly comparable thematic overlap on tropical forests and community-based conservation in Latin America.

Others

• IUCN National Committee of the Netherlands: Dutch committee of IUCN supporting international conservation policy and projects; thematically related ecosystem player supporting biodiversity and forest protection work analogous to Adopteer Regenwoud's mission.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/adopteer_regenwoud
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/work-with-nature

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Adopteer Regenwoud