We’re very excited to be supporting Rainforest Concern in this project in which they’re looking at the factors affecting the decline of Andean bears in the Neblina Reserve in Ecuador.

Andean, or ‘spectacled’ bears are a really special bear species being South America’s only bear species, but unfortunately they are under severe threat and their numbers continue to decline. Over 30% of bear habitat is now too small to maintain populations and threats such as habitat loss and fragmentation due to logging, agriculture and mining mean that 30% of their habitat is due to be lost in the near future. On top of this, due to climate change an estimated further 30% of all ecosystems the bears inhabit are also projected to be lost in the next 20 years.

The populations that are managing to find habitat are under threat from illegal killing, predominately by farmers trying to prevent damage to crops and livestock but also by those seeking the believed ‘medicinal’ benefits of bear parts.