The Editor

The Cordillera de Vilcabamba is a small mountain range located within the Cordillera Central of the Peruvian Andes, in the Cusco region of Peru. Part of the Andes Mountain system, the range extends northwestward from the city of Cusco.

The Middle America Trench is a major subduction zone, an oceanic trench in the eastern Pacific Ocean off the coast of Central America. It can be divided into a northern section called the Acapulco Trench and a southern section called the Guatemala Trench.

The Borborema Plateau, also known as Serra da Borborema (Borborema Mountains), makes up the northeasternmost portion of the Brazilian Highlands. The primary watershed of the region, the plateau is the source of more than 100 rivers.

Campos Amazônicos National Park is located in northwestern Brazil. It stretches through the state of Amazonas, crossing into the neighboring states of Rondônia and Mato Grosso. It is part of an ecological corridor intended to contain agricultural expansion into the central Amazon.

Chingaza National Natural Park is located in the Cordillera Occidental of the Colombian Andes. Situated within the Orinoco River basin, it contains numerous natural glacial lakes and is an important source of drinking water.

Nevado Tres Cruces National Park is located in the Atacama Region of Chile and includes Laguna Santa Rosa, Laguna del Negro Francisco and a part of the Salar de Maricunga. The park is named after the Nevado Tres Cruces massif which dominates the landscape of the area.

The Tropical Andes is a region that runs through Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia, spanning more than 580,000 sq mi. The Tropical Andes is the most biologically diverse of all recognized hotspots and contains about one-sixth of all plant life on Earth.

La Selva, or Peruvian Amazonia, is the area between the eastern foothills of the Peruvian Andes and the rain forests of the Amazon Basin. It is here that the lower slopes of the western Andes merge with the heavily forested tropical lowlands. 

The Sierra Nevada de Güicán, El Cocuy and Chita is located within the Cordillera Oriental range of the Colombian Andes.  El Cocuy National Natural Park protects its extraordinary biodiversity and endemism as well as its function as a corridor for migratory species.

The Chicamocha Canyon, located within the Colombian Andes, is among the largest in the world. Chicamocha National Park, also known as Panachi, is a major tourist attraction due to is spectacular landscape and the variety of outdoor activities that it offers.