Abstract Companies involved in water and forest resource extraction in Colombia are obliged to compensate for any resulting impacts stemming from their activities, as agreed with the environmental authorities. Compensation usually relates to reforestation or the development of public service infrastructure. However, these initiatives should be more relevant to the local community and ensure that the protection of biodiversity is efficiently undertaken and optimized to support the greatest number of benefits to fauna and flora and the provision of ecosystem services. This paper shows how a partnership between Mansarovar Energy Colombia Ltd., a heavy oil extraction company, and the national and local environmental authorities, resulted in the establishment of buffer zones to support the conservation of the Regional Natural Park "Serranía de las Quinchas". In total one thousand hectares were added to the already existing 21,000 ha that legally constitute the park. This synergy led to a greater impact within the local community, compared to when each entity worked separately.