Andean Adventures
Andean Adventures is an eco-tourism company that operates in Ecuador’s Chimborazo National Park. In 2019, Andean Adventures partnered with Acción Andina to build scalable native tree nurseries on its land. Its leaders work with local communities to produce Polylepis saplings to restore native forests in the shade of Ecuador’s largest mountain, glacier-topped Chimborazo. Little did they know that diversifying its activities would become a lifejacket: at the start of the pandemic, Andean Adventures suspended all tourism activities, shifting its entire focus to reforestation. This is how Andean Adventures progressed from planting 45,000 Polylepis trees to 150,000 in its second year; and 200,000 in the 2021-2022 planting season.
Restoration Leaders
John Paredes
Born in Guayaquil, Ecuador, John studied economics at the University of York in Toronto, Canada. However, his calling is that of an environmentalist. Prior to founding Andean Adventures, John lived in Toronto, and worked in the home appliances’ industry. He is currently the project lead of the “Reforesting Chimborazo” initiative.
Alexandra Calero
Alexandra has been the project manager of Andean Adventures since 2014 and currently manages the “Reforesting Chimborazo” project. She previously worked as manager of shelters for the Chimborazo Fauna Production Reserve. Alexandra has a degree in business administration, which she obtained from Alarid in Mexico and ESPOCH in Riobamba, Ecuador.
Impact
BIRD’S EYE VIEW OF
OUR PROJECTS ON EXPLORER.LAND (BETA)
We’re currently developing a high-resolution, satellite-based mapping platform with explorer.land. It will provide a bird’s eye view of of our projects, showing existing forest, reforestation sites, and nurseries while presenting relevant information about these areas. Information is currently in beta.