CONDESAN: Two Decades of Innovation for the Sustainable Development of the Andean Ecoregion

Abstract

In almost 2 decades of existence the Consorcio para el Desarrollo Sostenible de la Ecorregión Andina (CONDESAN) has experienced institutional innovations in response to the economic, social, environmental, and institutional dynamics of Andean countries and territories. As a result, interinstitutional interventions have been promoted in strategic spaces of the Andean region through local and regional projects in order to contribute to knowledge about the Andes, its provision of natural resources, and the strategies of Andean inhabitants to profit from these resources in a sustainable fashion.In this context, the “Encuentro CONDESAN 2010” marked CONDESAN's first biannual meeting with researchers, decision-makers, and various organizations, providing a space for analysis and discussion on climate change, innovation in agricultural systems, hydrological environmental services, and the importance of collective action for managing natural resources, among other topics (Figure 1).The approval of CONDESAN's new Road Map 2011–2015 is the conclusion of its latest evolution process: CONDESAN today is an independent regional research for development platform, disengaged from the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) and its host center, the International Potato Center (CIP). The Road Map marks the strategic route for CONDESAN's next 5 years of work as of 2011, with a view to continue contributing to knowledge and sustainable development of the Andes as a multistakeholder platform, with regional research for development initiatives.