Chester Zoo supporters have just one week to raise £20,000 to help secure a future for real-life Paddington bears.
The Cheshire-based international conservation zoo is urging animal lovers to take part in the Big Give Earth Raise fundraiser between 22 April and 29 April to protect the fragile forest home of Andean bears.
During this week-long campaign, every donation made will be match-funded to support the zoo’s ongoing Andean Carnivore Conservation Programme.
This vital project protects bears, jaguars, and other at-risk species living in the precious but highly threatened Inter-Andean dry forests of Bolivia.
Protecting a Vulnerable Icon
Andean bears are currently listed as Vulnerable according to the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species.
They share their shrinking habitat with other threatened wildlife, including Endangered tapeti rabbits and Critically Endangered Bolivian chinchilla rats.
Paul Bamford, Chester Zoo’s Regional Field Programme Senior Manager for Latin America, explained the importance of the species:
“Andean bears are the largest land-based carnivore in Latin America and are the inspiration behind the beloved Paddington Bear books.
“As seed distributors and trail-makers, they are important to the health of their habitats.
“But two-thirds of Andean bears live outside legally protected areas.
“They survive alongside marginalised communities that have been pushed to rely on sources of income that damage bear habitats, including cattle farming.
“By working with communities to safeguard the bears, we safeguard the landscape, too.”
The region has already lost 94% of its original forest cover, with cattle farming causing significant soil erosion and depressing forest growth.
While the bears are shy and prefer a mostly vegetarian diet, they are often killed in retaliation for livestock losses, despite being far more at risk from farming than the cattle are from them.
Community-Led Conservation
The Andean Carnivores Conservation Project, which has been backed by Chester Zoo for 10 years, monitors wildlife in the Tarija region of Bolivia while helping local communities adopt forest-friendly income streams.
Field conservationist and bear expert Ximena Velez-Liendo has seen the project evolve to support honey and coffee producers.
Dr Velez-Liendo said:
“The project is about practical action as well as research. We now support honey and coffee producers to farm in ways that benefit bears and communities.
“People receive more dependable income streams, and improved soil conditions means better crops and faster forest regeneration.
“Last year, we saw the first harvesting of coffee grown by the communities who live alongside the bears.
“None of this would be possible without the support of people who care about bear conservation.”
The proceeds from this week’s Earth Raise fundraiser will double the impact of every donation, paying for vital equipment, including a pickup truck to transport field teams and scientific gear to remote areas of the Bolivian forest.
You can donate here.
