The Andes-Amazon region spans five countries — Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia — and is home to spectacled bears and tapirs, with an abundance of orchids and hummingbirds and condors that soar over the tops of mountains. The ecosystems and landscapes have developed into tropical, temperate and cold climates, turning the Andes-Amazon region into one of the most biodiverse regions on the planet.

But this biodiverse region is seriously threatened, with mining, energy, the construction of infrastructure projects like interstate highways and hydroelectric dams, and climate change putting species in danger of extinction. As the ecosystems become more fragile they can no longer support many of the animal, bird and plant species in the mountains and jungle of the Andes-Amazon region.

We invite you to propose projects that tell the stories of communities in the region that are being impacted. We are looking for intimate stories, transmitted by the voices of those who are affected, people who are witnessing first-hand the damage to biodiversity, the climate and their own health.

By writing these stories, you will be telling the larger story of the Andes-Amazon region. Your reporting will narrate the story of an environmental crisis that is affecting us all.