Abstract 29 – Current status of Andean Bear in the municipalities of Samaipata and Mairana department of Santa Cruz, Bolivia

Viviana Albarracín and Ana Belen Robles

The elusive Andean or spectacled bear; it is categorized as Vulnerable (VU) species at the
national level as well by the IUCN. The Andean bear is an enigmatic flagship species for the
clouded forests and adjacent Andean meadows of the Tropical Andes. However, habitat loss
and human-animal conflict issues severely threaten the Andean bear across much of its Bolivian
range, increasing the threats over the species.
Given the importance of the Andean bear for conservation efforts across the Tropical Andes
and yet the lack of systematized information regarding distribution and ecology, it’s a must to
gather and collectively analyze existing Andean bear data for the department of Santa Cruz.
This area was not studied for 30 years, so it is possible that this place supports a good
population of bears. This species it is associated with habitat (cloud forest) very important for
the climate and water regulation at the regional level and that is why it is considered as a good
indicator of the health status of these forests. This research describes the presence of the
Andean bear in the Department of Santa Cruz in the municipalities of Mairana and Samaipata,
which are within the limits of the Andean Bear Conservation Units (UCO) proposed for Bolivia
and Peru. With the help of local inhabitants, we registers different signs of the presence of the
Andean bear, determining the occupancy of the bear as well in the area. Threats, in particular
conflict with humans. Involving the locals in this type of study is to recognize the opinion and
its knowledge in addition to considering it in making decisions that is increasingly important.