NPC Colombia
Colombia has one of the greatest diversities of primate species of any country in the world, and many are Endemic, found nowhere else. Unfortunately many are also threatened with extinction.
Find out about our work in Colombia here!

NPC Colombia Projects
Founded in 2016 by a group of dedicated young primatologists
Forest Protection
Environmental Education
Social development
Scientific Investigation
Meet the team

Juan Camilo Mantilla Castaño
NPC Colombia
Juan Camilo is a conservation biologist, naturalist, and artist. He has developed educational materials for educational work in rural areas and has participated in
community monitoring of the black spider monkey (Ateles fusciceps rufiventris), studying ecological aspects of this species.
He has a special interest in the study of primates in the Andean-Amazonian foothills.

Catalina Ocampo-Carvajal
NPC Colombia
Catalina is a biologist from the National University of Colombia, and has an MSC in Biodiversity and Conservation from the Pará Federal university, Brazil.
She is an active member, and former board member of the Colombian Primatological Association. She has worked with NPC Peru as well as NPC Colombia. Her work focuses on conservation ecology of neotropical primates, public education, and the fight against the illegal wildlife trade.

Catalina Orrego
NPC Colombia
Catalina is a conservation biologist from the University of Santa Rosa de Cabal, Colombia.
She has 10 years of experience working with various endangered primate species in research and conservation. She is also a university professor and passionate about environmental education. She has also worked in social research and community conservation for NGOs, universities, and environmental authorities in Colombia.

Sam Shanee
Sam Shanee is co-founder of NPC in the UK, Peru and Colombia. He has worked at various projects in South America, Asia and the Middle East.
Sam has an MSc in Primate Conservation and a PhD in the conservation and ecology of Andean primates, both from Oxford Brookes University, UK. Since 2007 he has been in South America carrying out conservation and research in Peru, Ecuador and Colombia, where he tries to bridge the gap between academia and activism. Sam is a member of the IUCN Primate Specialist Group, a Research Associate of Oxford Brookes University, and board member of the Latin American Primatological Society. Sam also sits on the board of NPC Peru.

Nathalia Bustamante
Nathalia is a biologist from the Universidad de los Andes with a master's degree in biodiversity, biology and evolution from the University of Gottingen.
She has worked with primates in the wild for over 5 years, making fieldwork her passion and one of her strengths. She is interested in studying infant behaviour and learning from it, but in recent years she has focused on conserving tropical forests, home to many of her favourite primates such as sakis and spider monkeys. During her time at NPC Colombia, she has learned that community work and environmental education are essential for any conservation project to be successful.

Sthepanny Quintero
NPC Colombia
Sthepanny is a conservation biologist, with experience in topics related to botany, herbaria,
biodiversity studies, plant-animal interactions, and work with communities, especially ethnobotany. She is very interested in learning about the diet of primates, their role in forest regeneration, and supporting conservation projects that involve the participation of local communities, through the understanding of use relationships.