The Andean Bear Pact in the Las Hermosas Region (Valle del Cauca, Colombia) is a collaborative initiative involving mountain communities in the municipality of Palmira and their local organizations, which have jointly contributed to forging new pathways for life within high-mountain socio-ecosystems of the Central Cordillera in Valle del Cauca.

One of the key milestones in these transformations is a pact established between landowners in the La Nevera and Combia areas and the Andean bear (Tremarctos ornatus). Recognizing and respecting the bear’s habitat and way of life through practices such as improved cattle management, the implementation of silvopastoral systems, and the reorientation of local economies toward nature based and scientific tourism are just a few examples demonstrating that human life and the life of the Andean bear do not necessarily have to be in conflict.

Therefore, the aim of this project by Fundación Lugares (supported by Bears in Mind since 2026) is to implement a community-based environmental popular education program called Environment for Education, focused on mitigating habitat fragmentation and the degradation of habitat quality of the Andean bear in the high-mountain region of Las Hermosas (Palmira, Valle del Cauca).