Honey is helping save Bolivia’s rare Andean bears
The landmark certification of Andean Bear Friendly honey is a “sweet” success
We're pleased and proud to announce that Andean honey produced as part of a Chester Zoo supported project has officially received Andean Bear Friendly™ certification by Wildlife Friendly Enterprise Network.
We set up the Andean Carnivore Conservation Programme in 2017 to helping families in the beautiful but threatened inter-Andean dry forests to set up apiaries and harvest honey. Andean bears habitats are under pressure from cattle farming and bears sometimes face persecution. Honey provides farmers with a better way to earn money that helps protect the forest and keeps bears and people safe.
The programme, a partnership with the Bolivian NGO Fundacion Fautapo, and the University of Oxford’s Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU), with funding from Fondation Segré, is led by Andean bear expert Dr Ximena Velez-Liendo, with support from Paul Bamford, Chester Zoo’s Regional Field Programme Senior Manager for Latin America.
Beekeeping offers an important line of income that fosters peaceful coexistence between people and bears by reducing economic reliance on cattle.
This honey now officially certified as Andean Bear Friendly™. This means it is not harmful to bears, and it encourages conservation of the inter-Andean dry forest.
Paul Bamford, Regional Field Programme Senior Manager for Latin America
Chester Zoo has a long history with Andean bears, and cares for several of these amazing animals on-site as part of an international conservation breeding programme. In the wild, Andean bears are listed as Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and their habitats are under pressure. The inter-Andean dry forests are themselves recognised as Critically Endangered, with only around six per cent of the original forest still standing.
Just eight years ago, the Andean bear was seen as a menace—nearly driven to extinction. How did we turn things around? By demonstrating the value of biodiversity and the power of coexistence. Beekeeping became the perfect example: a sweet success, bottled in every jar of honey.
Ximena Velez-Liendo, bear expert and Chester Zoo conservation fellow
The Andean Carnivore Conservation Programme part-funds the set-up of apiaries (arrays of bee hives) which provide honey, wax and propolis resin to Bolivian beekeepers, who can then sell the products on or use them for medicine and to supplement their diets. The project also supports the marketing and distribution of the honey, which is sold under the Valle de Osos (Valley of the Bears) label.
The Andean Bear Friendly™ certification celebrates the resilience and ingenuity of communities in Tarija, who are transforming challenges into opportunities by shifting from practices that harm wildlife to ones that protect it, and we are delighted to welcome these dedicated producers into our global network.
Christine Lippai, Executive Director at WFEN