Rubén Bernardo-Madrid, Manuela González-Suárez

The expansion and intensification of human activities have increased interactions between humans and wildlife, in some cases leading to conflict. Effective coexistence and management require understanding these interactions, yet knowledge remains limited in some regions. We synthesized current knowledge on human-Andean bear interactions (HABI) in South America using expert input and a systematic literature review.
Expert knowledge was primarily captured during a three-day workshop in 2025 in Colombia attended by 10 Andean bear specialists. Expert refined interaction typology into 13 main categories of HABI events, 6 considered conflicts related. A SWOT analysis of management responses revealed environmental education initiatives as key strengths, while limited resources and weak institutional coordination as major weaknesses. Major threats include escalating human pressure, sociopolitical instability, and climate change. Opportunities included access to international funding and strengthened inter-organisational collaboration.
We then compiled detail information on reported interactions creating a comprehensive dataset of HABI events reported since 2015 that included specific temporal information, geographic coordinates and interaction type. The database combined published records found by searching English and Spanish scientific and grey literature and unpublished data shared by experts across the region. A total of 668 HABI events were registered, representing only 10 of the identified categories. Predation on domestic animals was the most prevalent interaction (72%), followed by crop-related interactions (17.2%) and hunting (3.1%). Tourism-related (0.5%) and management-related events (0.3%) were rare.
This compilation strategy allowed us improve HABI contextual across the species’ distribution range. Strength collaborative work and improve data collection will enable stronger management strategies and promote coexistence between people and bears.