The Andean bear is the only bear species native to South America, and is distributed along the Andes mountain range from Venezuela to Argentina. This species is classified as Vulnerable by The World Conservation Union (IUCN) due to poaching and habitat destruction and fragmentation.

Due to this species' status in the wild, Denver Zoo partially funds this important conservation project. This study focuses on the main threat to this species’ survival - the fragmentation of its habitat. Researchers study the species’ smallest population group, found in small patches of fragmented forest in an area of Venezuela called Sierra de Portuguessa.

Researchers map the habitat available to the bears in the area and establish the current and past distribution of bears in the area using GPS tracking technology. They also look at the ways in which the bears are using different areas, including secondary forests, agriculture land, and roads that break up their natural habitat. Additionally, researchers spoke to the people living in the area to determine the local attitudes toward the bears and get a better idea of the hunting patterns surrounding the species.

The project is generating a habitat model for the species in this area that includes guidelines for the management strategy for the conservation of the Andean bear in this area.

Study of bears in this region has found that the population is dropping rapidly due to the expansion of agriculture, reducing the already limited habitat of the bears.