MONTIS - Associação para a Gestão e Conservação da Natureza

What MONTIS - Associação para a Gestão e Conservação da Natureza does

MONTIS – Associação para a Gestão e Conservação da Natureza is a Portuguese non-profit environmental NGO (Organização Não Governamental de Ambiente) founded on March 21, 2014 and headquartered in Vouzela, Viseu district. The organization purchases and manages land for biodiversity conservation and natural process development, and as of August 2025 it manages approximately 313 hectares across 34 properties in central Portugal and 4 properties near Lisbon, supported by a 345-member association. Its core operations combine direct land acquisition (via crowdfunding and a dedicated land purchase fund), long-term management protocols with private landowners (typically 10-year agreements), and active ecological restoration including native species planting, natural regeneration support, controlled burning, invasive species control, and biodiversity monitoring through photo-trapping and citizen science platforms.

The organization monetizes its mission through a portfolio of small revenue streams: annual membership fees from associates, voluntary donations, land-purchase crowdfunding campaigns, a dedicated land acquisition fund, paid international work camps (€50 for members / €75 for non-members), and paid workshops (€15 for members / €35 for non-members). Volunteer engagement is structured around monthly volunteer days, corporate volunteering programs, international work camps (credentialed under the European Solidarity Corps Quality Label), and educational partnerships with universities such as the University of Aveiro and UTAD. Strategic partnerships include Altri Florestal (forestry), IPDJ (youth), Invasoras.pt (invasive species), E-REDES (electricity distribution), and ICNF (the Portuguese nature and forest conservation authority), alongside participation in EU LIFE projects (LIFE ENPLC, LIFE VOLUNTEER ESCAPES, LIFE ELCN). The organization employs 7 staff and is governed by a member/associate model with no external investors or parent company.

Name

MONTIS - Associação para a Gestão e Conservação da Natureza

Legal name

MONTIS - Associação para a Gestão e Conservação da Natureza

Website

https://montisacn.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

MONTIS is a Portuguese non-profit environmental NGO that purchases and manages approximately 313 hectares across 38 properties for biodiversity conservation, serving 345 paying associates, volunteers, corporate CSR partners, and educational institutions through long-term land stewardship, ecological restoration, and citizen science programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Conservation Services

NAICS

Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (71219)

SIC

Forestry (800)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYTHAAANAH

Biodiversity & Habitat Conservation Services (Restoration, Wildlife-Safe Operations)

Travel & Hospitality/Adventure, Amusement Parks & Ecotourism/Sustainable Tourism Solutions (Eco-friendly Accommodations, Carbon Offset Programs)

SECONDARYTHAAAFAH

Citizen Science & Conservation Volunteer Tourism Programs (On-Site)

Travel & Hospitality/Adventure, Amusement Parks & Ecotourism/Wildlife Sanctuaries, Conservation Parks & Reserves (Visitor Operations)

SECONDARYEUAHAHAI

Ecosystem Services & Natural Capital Assessment / Valuation

Energy, Utilities & Environment/Environmental Compliance, Monitoring & Consulting/Ecology, Biodiversity & Natural Resource Assessments

Keywords

• Nature conservation services
• Land management programs
• Biodiversity restoration projects
• Environmental NGO activities
• Habitat preservation services

Headquarters

HQ city

Vouzela

HQ country

Portugal

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership fees and subscriptions: Annual membership fees and quotas from associates who support the organization's mission. In August 2025, MONTIS has 345 associates paying membership contributions.
2. Donations: Voluntary donations from supporters of nature conservation and biodiversity initiatives.
3. Crowdfunding campaigns: Land acquisition crowdfunding campaigns, such as 'Do Eucaliptal até à Mata' and 'Something entrusted to us' which successfully funded purchase of properties like Carvalhal de Vermilhas and Pampilhosa da Serra areas.
4. Land purchase fund: Dedicated fund for purchasing additional properties for conservation, allowing donors to contribute specifically to land acquisition.
5. Volunteer program fees: Participation fees for international work camps: €50 for MONTIS members and €75 for non-members, including accommodation, meals, and activities.
6. Workshop fees: Paid workshops such as the bird identification workshop: €15 for members and €35 for non-members.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

MONTIS is a Portuguese non-profit environmental NGO that purchases and directly manages land properties for biodiversity conservation and restoration. Its core offering centers on long-term land stewardship through a combination of direct land purchases (funded via crowdfunding) and 10-year management protocols with private landowners, supported by structured volunteer engagement, educational workshops, and guided nature activities across central Portugal and the Lisbon region.

Product overview

MONTIS operates as a nature conservation NGO offering a unified suite of programs focused on land acquisition, management, and restoration for biodiversity conservation in Portugal. The core offering centers on long-term property management through agreements with landowners and crowdfunding-based land purchases, supported by volunteer programs (monthly activities, international work camps) and educational workshops. All offerings work together to achieve the organization's mission of promoting biodiversity through sustainable natural heritage management.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Nature Conservation and Land Management Services
• Crowdfunding Campaigns for Land Acquisition
• Volunteering Programs
• International Work Camps
• Educational Workshops Specialized workshops on topics such as bird identification (Avifauna workshop), invasive species management, and biodiversity monitoring techniques. Priced at €15 for members and €35 for non-members.
• Guided Nature Activities

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

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

• E-REDESminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Collaboration protocol with E-REDES (electricity distribution network operator) for coordinated management of properties near power line infrastructure.
• IPDJ (Instituto Português do Desporto e Juventude)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Portuguese Institute of Sports and Youth supported the organization of an International Work Camp in July 2022, providing official backing for the youth volunteer program.
• Invasoras.ptmoderateStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Expert team from the invasive species project provided specialized workshop on exotic invasive flora during the International Work Camp 2022, offering technical expertise in invasive species control.
• Laboratório de Ecologia Fluvial e Terrestre da UTADmoderateStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro laboratory provided two fauna monitoring workshops during the International Work Camp 2022 - one on bats and another on nocturnal birds of prey.
• Bioparque do PisãomoderateOthers · 1 January 2022Partnership with Bioparque do Pisão for camping accommodation during volunteer activities and work camps. Located at the meeting point coordinates for Baldio de Carvalhais activities.
• Luís LavouracoreOthers · 1 February 2021Individual landowner who entered a 10-year management protocol with MONTIS for the Aguada de baixo property (0.20 ha) starting February 2021, ending February 2031.
• Rosa Maria TrindadecoreOthers · 1 April 2020Individual landowner who entered a 10-year management protocol with MONTIS for the Picôto property (0.82 ha) starting April 2020, ending April 2030.
• Universidade de AveiromoderateStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Academic partner providing expert guidance for workshops. Professor António Luís from University of Aveiro led the bird identification workshop in Vermilhas in March 2020.
• Alberto RegocoreOthers · 1 September 2019Individual landowner who entered a 10-year management protocol with MONTIS for the Levides property (4.8 ha) starting September 2019, ending September 2029.
• Altri FlorestalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2015Forestry company that transferred management of properties (Vieiro and Costa Bacelo) to MONTIS through 10-year management agreements. Altri Florestal is the proprietary company that entered management protocols with MONTIS for conservation of these Natura 2000 sites.
• ICNF (Instituto da Conservação da Natureza e das Florestas)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPortuguese government body for nature and forest conservation. MONTIS won the Prémio ICNF 2017 award and operates within the Natura 2000 network framework under ICNF oversight.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• BirdLife International: Global partnership of national bird conservation organizations. Comparable to MONTIS via SPEA affiliation in bird and habitat conservation, citizen-science monitoring and reserve management, but operating as a federation of national organizations.
• Conservation International: Global conservation organization working on biodiversity, climate and ecosystem services. Comparable to MONTIS in advancing 'natural capital' valuation concepts, but operating at multi-country scale with corporate and government partnerships.
• The Nature Conservancy: One of the world's largest conservation organizations with extensive direct land management experience. Conceptually comparable to MONTIS's land stewardship approach, but at global scale with vastly greater financial and technical resources.
• WWF (ANP|WWF Portugal): Portuguese affiliate of the global WWF network. Overlaps with MONTIS on biodiversity conservation mission and access to corporate and donor networks, but operates at significantly larger scale and broader thematic scope.

Emerging players

• Land Life Company: Reforestation-focused company using technology-driven tree planting and ecosystem restoration. Comparable to MONTIS in delivering active land restoration services, but operates as a commercial venture with a stronger technology and project-management emphasis.

Direct peers

• SPEA - Sociedade Portuguesa para o Estudo das Aves: Portuguese bird and biodiversity conservation NGO and BirdLife partner. Comparable to MONTIS in running volunteer-driven habitat management and citizen-science programs in Portugal, with overlapping member/donor pools.
• GEOTA - Grupo de Estudos de Ordenamento do Território e Ambiente: Portuguese environmental NGO focused on territorial planning and nature conservation. Comparable to MONTIS in mission and Portuguese NGO structure, though more focused on policy and territorial planning than direct land management.
• Quercus - Associação Nacional de Conservação da Natureza: Portugal's largest national environmental NGO. Comparable to MONTIS as a Portuguese non-profit focused on biodiversity and habitat conservation, though operating at much larger scale and with a stronger policy/advocacy orientation.
• LPN - Liga para a Proteção da Natureza: Long-established Portuguese nature protection association. Directly comparable to MONTIS in mission and NGO structure, with a longer operating history and broader national footprint in Portugal.
• Rewilding Europe: European rewilding organization that acquires and manages large landscapes for biodiversity recovery. Closely comparable to MONTIS in operating model — direct land stewardship for ecosystem restoration — though at pan-European scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/montisacn
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/montisacn
• Instagraminstagram.com/montisacn

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 MONTIS - Associação para a Gestão e Conservação da Natureza