ProSierra Nevada de Sa

What ProSierra Nevada de Sa does

Fundación Pro-Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta (operating as Prosierra) is a Colombian non-profit organization founded in 1986 and headquartered in Santa Marta, Magdalena, with field operations across the Magdalena, Cesar, and Guajira departments. Its mission is the protection and preservation of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta — declared by the IUCN in 2013 as the world's most irreplaceable ecosystem — through conservation, restoration, water-resource management, and community development programs serving indigenous (Kággaba, Ijka, Wiwa, Kankuamo, Wayúu) and rural peasant communities, an estimated 170,000 inhabitants in the area of influence, and over 1.5 million people downstream who depend on the ecosystem for water.

The foundation's core technical asset is a Geographic Information System (SIG) maintained since 1994, providing the most spatially comprehensive longitudinal dataset on the Sierra Nevada. Prosierra also operates two research stations — El Congo (70 hectares under 30 years of active restoration, equipped with a 5.8 kW GivePower-donated solar microgrid) and Alto de Mira (a 1,000 m.a.s.l. archaeological site adjacent to the Ciudad Perdida trail, managed under agreement with ICANH). Its product portfolio spans the SIG, the Fondo de Agua de Santa Marta y Ciénaga (water fund, since 2018), the Programa de Compensación Forestal Serranía del Perijá (covering ~6,000 hectares across 200+ properties for mining clients including Drummond Ltd. and Prodeco), a Sustainable Production program, and educational publications (Cartillas) on medicinal plants, coffee traceability, beekeeping, and leishmaniasis prevention.

The business model is non-commercial: revenue comes from individual donations processed via PayU Latam at fixed small amounts (COP$150k–$600k), philanthropic grants, and professional-services fees from mining companies for legally mandated forest compensation programs executed since 2009. The organization employs 17 staff, is governed by a 12-member Board of Directors, and operates with a network of 75 allied organizations across conservation, cultural heritage, and energy domains.

Name

ProSierra Nevada de Sa

Legal name

Fundación Pro-Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta

Website

https://prosierra.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Fundación Pro-Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta is a Colombian non-profit founded in 1986 that conserves the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta ecosystem through GIS-based monitoring, forest compensation programs for mining companies, water fund management, and community development for indigenous and rural populations across Magdalena, Cesar, and Guajira.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Conservation Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Forestry (11531), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Forestry (800)

akta.pro primary industry

Forestry & Reforestation (BPAGAGAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAM)

Keywords

• Environmental conservation
• Forest compensation programs
• Watershed management
• Biodiversity research
• Community sustainable development

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Marta

HQ country

Colombia

HQ region

Latin America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Philanthropic Contributions: The foundation raises funds through donations from individuals and organizations. Donation options are offered at set amounts (COP$600,000, COP$300,000, COP$150,000) via PayU Latam payment platform.
2. Environmental Compensation Programs: ProSierra designs and operates forest compensation programs on behalf of mining companies operating in the Serranía del Perijá (including Carbones de La Jagua, Drummond Ltd., and others), fulfilling their legal environmental obligations. This has covered more than 6,000 hectares across 200+ properties since 2009.

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Fundación Pro-Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta is a non-profit foundation that designs and executes environmental conservation, forest restoration, and sustainable development projects in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta region of Colombia. It operates research stations (El Congo and Alto de Mira) covering 70 hectares of restored land, runs forest compensation programs for mining companies covering approximately 6,000 hectares, manages the Water Fund of Santa Marta and Ciénaga, and delivers community development programs for indigenous and rural families.

Product overview

Fundación ProSierra Nevada de Santa Marta is a non-profit organization offering a portfolio of conservation programs and research services rather than a unified software product. Its core offerings include a Geographic Information System (SIG) for environmental monitoring, a Water Fund for Santa Marta and Ciénaga regions, Forest Compensation Programs in the Serranía del Perijá, and Sustainable Production initiatives. The foundation operates two research stations (El Congo and Alto de Mira) spanning 70 hectares dedicated to restoration, and produces educational publications (Cartillas) on topics including medicinal plants, beekeeping, and traceability. Recent infrastructure includes a 5.8 kW solar microgrid at El Congo station donated by Givepower.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sistema de Información Geográfica (SIG) Geographic Information System (GIS) maintained since 1994 that holds a digital database of updated geographic information enabling the study and analysis of natural and social processes in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta for better conservation decisions. Used internally and for conservation research.
• Fondo de Agua de Santa Marta y Ciénaga (Water Fund) Water fund managed by ProSierra that handles water conservation and compensation activities for the Santa Marta and Ciénaga regions, stabilizing hydrological resources for over 1.5 million people across the Magdalena, Guajira, and Cesar departments.
• Programa de Compensación Forestal Serranía del Perijá Forest compensation programs designed and executed for mining companies operating in the Serranía del Perijá to fulfill legal environmental obligations. Programs cover restoration of degraded zones, protection of conserved areas, and establishment of conservation-related productive systems across more than 200 properties and approximately 6,000 hectares.
• Programa de Producción Sostenible

Quantifiable outcome

• 70 hectares under active restoration at research stations over 30 years
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

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

• Fondo de Agua de Santa Marta y CiénagacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018ProSierra was appointed as the operator of the Water Fund of Santa Marta and Ciénaga, which began activities in 2018. The fund focuses on water conservation and stabilization of hydrological resources for the benefit of over 1.5 million people.
• Drummond Ltd.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017ProSierra, Corpocesar, and Drummond Ltd. signed a 5-year agreement to execute all Forest Compensation Programs in the Serranía del Perijá, covering restoration and conservation across hundreds of properties.
• Prodeco (C.I. Prodeco S.A.)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProSierra designed and is executing the forest compensation program (PCA) for the Toribio river watershed with Prodeco, with results integrated into the Water Fund activities.
• CorpocesarcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvironmental authority of Cesar department collaborating with ProSierra and Drummond on the forest compensation programs in the Serranía del Perijá.
• IUCN (Unión Internacional para la Conservación de la Naturaleza)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational conservation union providing global standards and frameworks for biodiversity conservation; ProSierra operates under IUCN-recognized conservation principles.
• The Nature ConservancymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal environmental organization working on conservation; listed as a key ally of ProSierra in ecosystem protection efforts.
• Global Heritage FundmoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational non-profit focused on heritage site conservation; supports ProSierra's work on archaeological and cultural heritage of the Sierra Nevada.
• Fundación Mario Santo DomingomoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerColombian foundation supporting social and environmental development; a named ally of ProSierra.
• GivePower FoundationmoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerDonated a 5.8 kW solar microgrid to the El Congo research station in March 2022, as part of a program to strengthen environmental reserves and test solar energy independence solutions for rural zones.
• Instituto Colombiano de Antropología e Historia (ICANH)moderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerColombian government institute managing archaeological heritage; ProSierra operates its Alto de Mira station under agreements with ICANH for the protection of Tairona archaeological sites.
• SelvamoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerColombian environmental organization listed as a partner ally supporting conservation work in the Sierra Nevada.
• EnvironomicaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a partner ally; likely provides environmental monitoring or research support.
• OpEPAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvironmental education organization listed as a partner ally.
• PantheramoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal wild cat conservation organization; ally in protecting the biodiversity and fauna of the Sierra Nevada.
• Tras la Perla de la AméricaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional organization listed as a partner ally.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• WWF Colombia: Major international conservation NGO operating in Colombia across forests, water, and species. Overlaps in mission and partner ecosystem but operates at much broader scale and geographic footprint than ProSierra.

Direct peers

• Fondo Patrimonio Natural: Colombian environmental fund focused on financing and managing biodiversity and ecosystem conservation projects. Comparable as a domestic non-profit foundation administering conservation financing across Colombia.
• Fundación Natura (Colombia): Colombian environmental NGO focused on biodiversity conservation and sustainable natural resource management. Directly comparable as a domestic non-profit foundation delivering conservation programs and working with corporate and government partners across Colombia.
• Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Colombia: Global wildlife NGO with active operations in Colombia on protected areas, wildlife corridors, and indigenous community partnerships. Comparable as a peer in the biodiversity-conservation and community-engagement space.
• The Nature Conservancy (TNC) Colombia: Global conservation organization operating in Colombia on protected areas, water funds, and sustainable development. Comparable as an existing ProSierra ally operating overlapping conservation and water-fund programs in the same country.
• Fondo de Agua de Bogotá: Water fund for Bogotá serving millions of residents through watershed conservation payments. Closely comparable institutional model to ProSierra's Fondo de Agua de Santa Marta y Ciénaga, offering potential lessons in scaling and replication.
• Conservation International Colombia: Global NGO working on biodiversity hotspots, indigenous community partnerships, and forest compensation in Colombia. Highly comparable operating model and target geographies in the Andean and Caribbean regions.

Emerging players

• Panthera: Global wild cat conservation organization that is already a listed ally of ProSierra. Comparable as a thematic wildlife NGO with co-funding relationships in the Sierra Nevada region.
• Fundación Mario Santo Domingo: Colombian corporate-affiliated foundation supporting social and environmental development. Comparable as a domestic grantmaking foundation and named ProSierra ally with overlapping community-development programs.

Regional players

• Fundación Yuruparí: Colombian NGO working on indigenous community cultural preservation and environmental management in the Amazon. Comparable in community-based conservation approach but operates in a different Colombian region.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/prosierra-nevada-de-sa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 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 ProSierra Nevada de Sa