Project Results
The project results in
terms of data obtained from
this study are vital for a better understanding of the behavior,
environmental requirements and ecological role of this species. The
data should help environmental authorities and NGOs make appropriate
decisions in relation to programs of environmental education, handling
of bear-human conflict in local communities, and the habitat
conservation through the design and creation of protected natural areas
and wildlife corridors.
Preliminary project
results have shown that the size of the home range of a wild Andean
bear is larger than previously thought. This guides our
decisions on suitable sites for liberating reintroduced Andean bears
and leads to a greater success rate with bear reintroductions.
Habitat conservation can
also be guided by the project results as we learn which areas are most
important for the bears, for example the "bear corridors" on the map
below. These narrow ridges are traversed by the male bears as
they move from one area of "bear country" to another, and are crucial
to avoid inbreeding in isolated bear populations.
Andean
Bear Conservation Project: Project Results
The Andean Bear Conservation Project results are used to inform the
state and other stakeholders in their quest to resolve human-bear
conflict, conserve bear habitat and carry out successful bear
reintroductions.
