There are many different species of endangered animals in the world, and protecting each one comes with unique challenges. The Andean bear is one animal that is on the IUCN Red List, which means that it is vulnerable. There are currently somewhere between 2500 and 10,000 of these bears in the wild, but those numbers are going down.
Their habitat is in trouble due to deforestation, and when the bears seek new places to live, they often come in contact with humans who see them as a threat, putting them in further danger.
Fortunately, there are efforts to protect this bear to hopefully increase its numbers before things get even more dire. For example, a team of researchers from the University of Sussex is working in an area known as the Andean Bear Corridor, which is along the Andes and goes through Peru and Ecuador.
The project that they are working on hopes to be effective because they are not simply focused on saving the bears, but also helping the local communities. The goal is to help to set up a sustainable environment so both the people and the bears can live in harmony throughout the area.
One step in this is finding ways for the locals to be able to generate an income without turning to deforestation. In a statement to IFLScience, the team’s principal investigator, Professor Fiona Matthews, said:
“Farmers told us that one of their main concerns was they didn’t have the legal entitlement to the land they’ve settled on: a common problem for many communities in South America. We’re therefore working to help them gather the necessary documentation, and have worked with the Environment Ministry and Provincial government to find an agreed way forward.”
When it comes to helping the bears themselves, the team is turning to the constitution of Ecuador for help. This country has animal rights enshrined in their constitution. There have already been cases where the courts ruled in favor of protections for animals, and the team hopes to use similar arguments going forward.
The project’s co-investigator, Dr. Joanna Smallwood, explains:
“An interesting development is that Ecuadorian Rights of Nature legislation has not only successfully challenged harmful practices for biodiversity such as mining, business practices, and the use of market-based mechanisms for conservation but has also been used to recognise and protect the rights of a wild animal as a sentient being. Our project is exploring the implications of implementing the rights of the Andean bear alongside broader rights for nature in the Andean Bear Corridor and the rights of the local communities to realise just, fair and equitable solutions for nature, bears and humans.”
Taking this approach will hopefully be more successful than just trying to provide direct funding or other action to protect the bears. Anything that can be done that will help to make it so the people living in that region no longer have to do things that put the bears in danger will ensure their protection long into the future.
This sounds like a great way to protect these bears.
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