The Foundation for the Conservation of Natural Resources, Fundación Natura, is a non-profit organization legally established on March 28, 1991, in order to promote plans and programs for the protection and conservation of Panama’s natural heritage. To this end, it administers funds dedicated to the execution of these plans and programs, with which it directly supports environmental initiatives of non-governmental organizations, educational entities and community groups, as well as activities of the National System of Protected Areas administered by the Ministry of the Environment. A solid track record has been drawn in project management and the management of environmental funds, aimed at contributing to the restoration of ecosystems and the management of key areas for their water resources and biodiversity, such as Hydrographic Basins and Protected Areas.

Since 1995, Fundación Natura has been the trustee of the Panama Ecological Trust (FIDECO) and is responsible for its Donations Program, which is executed through two programs, the Program of Donations in Kind to Protected Areas, and the Program of Donations to the NGOs and related organizations, within which the Program for Strengthening the Capacities of NGOs and related organizations is carried out. The FIDECO Fund has been the central axis of the environmental management of Fundación Natura, allowing the development of transformative processes and learning that have added value to the actions of other entities in the country.

In 28 years, the FIDECO Fund has financed more than 300 projects, benefiting more than 60,000 people directly, with an investment of about 45 million dollars, in actions carried out in the 10 provinces, in 10 of the 52 river basins of the country and 36 Protected Areas, contributing resources to conservation and sustainable development projects in the main Hydrographic Basins of Panama (Panama Canal Basin, Santa María, La Villa and Chiriquí Viejo) and in the coastal and marine areas (Gulf of Chiriquí and San Miguel). The FIDECO fund is a consolidated fund, which continues to contribute permanently and

Continuous resources for environmental conservation in Panama, thanks to this, it has been possible to mobilize other sources of resources and the establishment of alliances with national and international organizations.

Since 2003, the Fundación Natura has administered the debt-for-nature swaps of Panama, one for the Chagres National Park and the other for the Darien National Park, both funds created under the Law of Conservation of Tropical Forests of the United States of America. .

In various fund management schemes, we have worked with international organizations, bilateral and multilateral organizations, such as the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the Inter-American Foundation (FIA), the Andean Development Corporation (CAF) and the United Nations Program. United for Development (UNDP), among others.

With our Green Coalitions program we support, in alliance with the private sector, environmental initiatives thanks to allies and strategic partners, who from civil society organizations, communities, government institutions, companies with CSR and cooperation organizations, contribute and join to a common goal of promoting concrete actions for sustainable development and conservation.

The institutional discipline to follow the path outlined allowed the transition of Fundación Natura towards the consolidation of technical administrative processes, diversifying and increasing sources of financing, optimizing operational efficiency and strengthening technical capacities. This is how Fundación Natura was accredited as the National Implementing Agency of the Adaptation Fund, then in 2017 the Foundation was certified in 9 processes with the ISO 9001: 2008 standard and in April 2018 it obtained the certification of the ISO 9001: 2015 standard, positioning it as the only Panamanian environmental NGO certified to date.