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The publication of "Andean Bear Priority Conservation Units in Bolivia and Peru" edited by Robert Wallace, with the participation of 25 experts in the field and supported by Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), the Center for Biodiversity and Genetics from the University of San Simón in Bolivia, the University Cayetano Heredia in Peru and the University of Antwerp in Belgium, represents a fundamental contribution to scientific knowledge and conservation of the Andean or spectacled bear (Tremarctos ornatus), a threatened species and emblematic of the Andean montane forests of South America.

This work began with a binational workshop for the conservation of the Andean bear in Bolivia and Peru, held in Lima, within the framework of the II International Symposium on Andean Bear. Panellists provided data on the distribution of the species and assessed its conservation status. Based on this information, the known 1,066 distribution points of Andean bear in Bolivia and Peru were summarized in 27 maps including: historical range, areas with and without expert knowledge, areas where Andean bears no longer occurs, priority conservation units and maps of the Human Influence Index and Human Footprint within the Andean bears range.

The historical range of the Andean bear reaches 607,256 km2. The confirmed current distribution range of the species based on the area that experts were prepared to state as known presence is 350,689.63 km2, equivalent to 55% of the territory. Large portions were still considered as unknown, and the disappearance or reduction of populations of Andean bears in certain small areas of Bolivia and Peru was also confirmed, highlighting the urgent need of conservation actions. Nevertheless, it is also important to emphasize that 20% of the historical range of the bear in Bolivia and Peru is under formal protection, which exceeds the 17% recommended by the Convention on Biological Diversity.

The group identified seven Andean Bear Conservation Units (ABCU) by analyzing their conservation status and their connectivity level: three units in Peru, one unit that links Peru and Bolivia and three units in Bolivia, representing almost 58% of the current distribution range of the species in Bolivia and Peru. A population size estimate was made for the conservation units using data on population density of several available studies on camera traps, telemetry and genetic analyses, resulting in the presence of 3 to 12 bears per 100 km2. Based on density estimates, the theoretical size of the population of the seven units was evaluated, resulting in a total of 10,520 individuals (considering the estimates of lower densities: 3 bears/100 km2).

The population size of the Andean bear from the (ABCU) Central Andes 4: Southern Peru-Northern Bolivia is the highest of the seven units, with an estimated population of 3,447 individuals (3 bears/100 km2). It is important to emphasize the importance of protected areas in Bolivia in the conservation of this species, especially Madidi and Apolobamba, in the north of La Paz; Carrasco and Amboró, in the center of the country; and Iñao and Tariquía in southern Bolivia.