Spatial Ecology of Andean Bears (Tremarctos Ornatus) in Protected Areas and Rural Communities´ Interactions at the Chingaza Massif, Colombia.

Abstract

The main objective of this dissertation is to use evidence-based information to fill the gaps of knowledge of Andean bear (Tremarctos ornatus: Ursidae) in Colombia in order to understand the spatial ecology, interactions with human communities and to guide effective conservation programs for the species in Colombia. The National Conservation and Management Plan for the species in Colombia is outdated and failed to generate effective conservation measures, and lack of research of the species in Colombia resulted in the use of extrapolated information from other countries. Andean bear is classified as Vulnerable (VU) to extinction by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Colombian government. I first reviewed all the available published information of the species since its first description in order to identify knowledge gaps and to update the published information for the species across the global distribution. With the knowledge of population dynamics, spatial ecology and interactions with human communities, I evaluated how landscape and anthropogenic variables affects occupancy patterns of the species at the Chingaza Massif and Chingaza National Park, located in the eastern range of Colombia and one of the main conservation cores of the species. During the fieldwork of this dissertation, the COVID-19 pandemic led to the mandatory lockdowns around the globe. With this opportunity we evaluated the effects of the “anthropause” during COVID-19 lockdowns performed by the Colombian government between March and August of 2020. Results showed that availability of natural habitats and human landscape variables affected the occupancy of the species at the Chingaza Massif of Colombia, and we reported for the first time the effects of COVID-19 pandemic in the occupancy rates of the species, showing that human activities affected significatively how Andean use landscapes at the Chingaza Massif. In an effort to understand home range of the species at the Massif and in Colombia, one GPS satellite telemetry collar was installed in a wild individual, being the first Andean bear collared inside of a protected area in Colombia. The home range of the individual showed smaller home ranges (95% 140 km2; 50% 13km2) that the reported home ranges in South America. In order to generate tools for management and conservation of Andean bears in Colombia, information about bear-human interactions, perceptions towards the species and the magnitude of negative interactions must be measured. This study took into account socio-economic and biological variables that described and evaluated the magnitude of human – Andean bear conflicts at the Chingaza Massif. Results showed that the main trigger of negative interactions is the lack of surveillance of domestic animals, and that rural ranchers prefer to be involved in conservation programs that maintain natural areas rather than simply being compensated for the livestock loss due to negative interactions. Evaluation of perceptions of rural communities regarding the presence of wildlife, particularly large carnivores such as Andean bears, is an essential input when generating mitigation and prevention tools for conflict events. My study reports occupancy patterns of the species at the Chingaza Massif and the effects of how human activities affects how the species responds to human modified landscapes, in addition in a collaborative effort I was able to report for the first time the home range for the species in a protected area in Colombia. Including biological and socio-economic information about interaction dynamics between humans and Andean bears contributes to the generation of tools and methods to implement effective conservation strategies in areas where human communities and Andean bears overlap in adjacent areas of protected areas in Colombia. The information generated during this research is replicable in any regional context in order to provide a strong methodological framework to study Andean bears to contribute to creation of conservation and interactions management plans.