TOGETHER WE CAN SAVE SPECTACLED BEARS

With only isolated populations left, spectacled bears are at risk of extinction.

Spectacled (or Andean) bears are a vulnerable species seriously threatened by habitat loss, habitat fragmentation and human-wildlife conflict. The lack of knowledge about spectacled bears in the wild impacts our ability to make conservation decisions or plans.

Spectacled bears are the only bear species in South America with potentially as few as 2,500 mature individuals remaining.

With the current pace of local development, we need to act quickly to protect spectacled bears in northern Peru by creating protected areas and continuing research.

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Our Mission

To conserve and protect spectacled bears and their habitat in Peru through scientific research, education and collaboration with local communities, government and land owners.

Our Work

We integrate community partnerships, habitat protection and research to ensure that spectacled bears and their endangered habitat survive and thrive.

Why Protect Bears?

Protecting spectacled bears and their habitat makes a strategic conservation impact by indirectly protecting entire ecosystems.

Healthy Bears Mean Healthy Ecosystems

Each part of an ecosystem is linked; if one is compromised, the entire community could fall apart. Bears play two important roles to maintain healthy ecosystem function and balance.

Keystone Species

Bears play such an essential role in keeping their ecosystem healthy that if they were removed, the ecosystem would be negatively affected. For example, as top predator, a decrease in bears can trigger changes in other animal populations throughout the food chain.

Umbrella Species

Bears have large habitat ranges. By protecting spectacled bears, we are protecting all wildlife in the bears’ ecosystem. Our research has also detected the presence of other species such as mountain tapir, puma, ocelot and jaguarundi.

WHY BEARS? from Trifilm, Inc. on Vimeo.

The Power of Felti

We conduct ongoing research to identify areas with prime spectacled bear habitat. We then partner with communities who own this land and choose to commit it to a private protected area. Through this partnership, we deliver conservation education and establish our Felti program in new communities.

The opportunity to participate in our Felti program is an incentive for communities to protect spectacled bear habitat. Through the production of dry-wool needle felted artisan products, Felti also empowers local women with new skills and a sustainable income. It also provides an alternative livelihood from natural resource extraction practices, which reduces human pressure on the environment.

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Buy a Felti and Protect Spectacled Bear Habitat!

The Felti program is a vital component of our work that results in the creation of community-supported protected areas.

We can partner with more communities, hire and empower more local women, and protect more spectacled bear habitat by selling more Feltis. 100% of the proceeds from our Felti sales go back into SBC’s conservation programs.

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