Fostering coexistence through a poverty reduction approach
The Tarija region of southern Bolivia encompasses four ecosystems, including the critically endangered Inter-Andean dry forests. Much of the forest composition has changed as a result of intensive human intervention. Despite the severe fragmentation and habitat loss, the valleys are considered important centres for plant endemism, and it is home to the largest carnivores of South America, Andean bear Tremarctos ornatus, jaguar Panthera onca and puma Puma concolor. The area is prone to the effects of climate change with severe droughts
affecting agriculture, with up to 80 percent crop losses in 2015.
Following a regional assessment on the distribution of Andean bears in 2010, researchers received reports from local communities regarding Andean bears attacking and killing cattle in the Tarija region, with retaliation against the bears ensuing. Researchers were surprised by these reports as the presence of bears had not been documented in the area. However, in 2016, a camera trap study was initiated by Chester Zoo, Protección Medio Ambiente Tarija (PROMETA) and the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU) and confirmed the presence of a reproductive population of Andean bears (mother and cub) in the region. These findings became the trigger to start the Andean Bears and People Project in 2018, a collaboration between Chester Zoo, PROMETA, WildCRU, Centro de Estudios Regionales de Tarija (CERDET), Instituto de Investigación y Capacitacion Campesina (IICA) and the Natural History Museum Alcides d’Orbigny.