Andean Carnivore Conservation Project
Andean bears are shy giants and remain elusive despite their territory overlapping with farmland and human settlements. Chester Zoo supports the Andean Carnivore Conservation Program, which focuses on the bears of the dry forests of Tarija in southern Bolivia, a region that has undergone dramatic changes.
Their forest home is a Critically Endangered landscape and has shrunk to just 6% of its original coverage. This population at the southern extreme of the species’ range is surviving at the frontline of Andean bear conservation.
Beautiful But Threatened
The extraordinary landscape of Tarija (pictured) may look idyllic, but the people living here face extreme poverty, without running water, electricity, or a stable means of income.
They are small-scale subsistence farmers who depend on a healthy ecosystem to grow their produce. Climate fluctuations have placed their livelihoods in a precarious position.
Over the last few decades, farmers have turned increasingly to livestock ranching, but the environmental impacts of extensive cattle grazing are huge. These include soil compaction, erosion and suppression of forest regeneration.
When the project launched in 2016 it was not clear whether Andean bears still remained in Tarija’s valleys.
Camera Traps and Bear Biology
With support from Chester Zoo, renowned bear biologist Dr Ximena Velez-Liendo established the Andean Carnivore Conservation Program (ACCP).
Her first step was to install camera traps in six communities to look for evidence of the presence of bears. With the help of parabiologists (community members who have been specially trained to support research activities), she uncovered a previously unknown population of at least 60 Andean bears.
The network of camera traps, still active and distributed across 1,000km2, allows Dr Velez-Liendo and her team to monitor these bears, including individual behaviours and relationships between breeding pairs, or mothers and cubs.
The camera traps have also helped us document the little-known biodiversity of the region. We have recorded species such as the Critically Endangered Bolivian chinchilla rat and eight of Bolivia’s nine feline species, including oncilla, Geoffroy’s cat, pampas cat and jaguarundi.
Cattle and Community
In addition, the ACCP supports community members to develop sustainable livelihoods in order to reduce their economic dependence on cattle and to make a living while minimising their impact on the habitat. These measures include providing technical support to improve cattle management so they can do more with fewer livestock, enabling them to reduce herd sizes.
This holistic approach has had results; between 2021-2023, we saw a 17% reduction in cattle numbers, alleviating pressure on the environment and on the bear population.
We have now identified key areas for habitat restoration and are working with the communities to support forest recovery.
We have developed a certification programme for Andean bear-friendly produce, and the project and its participating communities have been certified by Argentina’s Fundación ProYungas as a ‘Productive, Protected Landscape’ (PPL).
Boosting Bear Numbers
The next step, with funding from Fondation Segré, is to build on this success by quadrupling the area this project covers to 4,000km2.
We will use the data we have gathered about the bears to plan wildlife corridors and restoration areas.
Our ultimate goal is to equip communities with the knowledge and skills needed to support the preservation and restoration of this habitat and to maintain and potentially grow the population of Andean bears.
We can only achieve this by listening closely to the needs of the people and helping them as we help wildlife.
Specialists
Find out more about the conservation experts who work on this project.
Regional Field Programme Manager - Latin America
Conservation Education Officer