CONDESAN (Consortium for the Sustainable Development of the Andean Eco-region) is a 16-year-old consortium that offers an innovative form of organization and promotes horizontal integration among nongovernmental organizations, universities, national and international research centers, and governmental agencies from the Andean region. We are innovative and horizontal as we are able to cooperate with different types of actorsscientists, politicians, people from rural communities, among otherswho participate and interact as actors with the same rights. Our aim is the sustainable development of the Andean region (mountains). © International Mountain Society 2009.