The Colombian coffee growers protecting the spectacled bear

South America’s only native bear is under threat. “Bearing in mind that 70 percent of Colombia’s human population is concentrated in the Andes, it just wasn’t possible.” Instead, We Conserve Life partnered with farmers willing to free up some of their land to form biological pathways to link forests and protected areas like Tatamá, Fallarones and Munchique National Natural Parks, located in Colombia’s Western Andes. “It’s one thing being told about the bears without seeing them – or even believing they’re still real – but it’s another thing actually seeing them.” A responsibility to future generations For coffee farmer Carlos Rendon, learning about the threats to the spectacled bear and the wider environment was a significant awakening. “It’s our livelihood, the economy and the way we support our families,” she says, sitting on an indoor terrace overlooking her coffee crop, as her young daughter plays contentedly with a kitten beside her. “But if we can produce a better quality coffee, we can sell at a much better price, like we’re doing now, obviously our quality of life improves a lot too.” Indicators suggest that in El Aguila the project is also yielding results for spectacled bears — the main goal.