Protected Areas: Great Wilderness targets protection efforts within wilderness areas of heightened ecological value. We work to achieve long-term protection for these areas by building the capacity of our local partners to access the resources and information necessary to maintain reserves and their buffer zones and increase the standard of living.  Great Wilderness has a long-term goal of creating a communications network connecting protected areas via the internet that will facilitate the exchange of information and stimulate a grassroots approach to regional conservation initiatives.

Community Development: The Greater Tropical Andes hosts globally significant degrees of biological and cultural diversity, species endemism, and ecological productivity. The high levels of biodiversity of these areas emphasize their role in maintaining Earth's life support systems such as oxygen production, maintenance of freshwater availability, climatic stabilization, genetic storehouses and food webs that span the hemisphere.

The Greater Tropical Andes refers to the ecosystems whose overall stability is linked to the ecological processes of the Andes Mountains. The Andes Mountain range is the longest continuous mountain system on earth. It stretches from the Caribbean coast of South America in the north to the southern tip of the continent, covering approximately 8,900 km. The region contains several ecosystems that are of vital importance to maintaining global ecological stability including the Amazon wilderness area, the topical Andes and the Tumbes-Choco-Magdalena hostspots.

The Humboldt Current is a cold-water upwelling in the southeastern pacific that extends from the southern tip of the continent to the equator. The region includes both marine and terrestrial areas along the western coast of South America. The Humboldt Current is the second most productive fishery on Earth. In 2002 the fisheries off the coast of Peru and Chile suppiled approximately 20% of the world's catch. The profitability of the fisheries and inconsistent conservation policies has caused serious over-exploitation of marine resources, which has upset the ecological balance of the entire region.

For updates on current future expeditions, please check this website frequently.