Chester Zoo has launched a week-long fundraiser to help safeguard the future of Andean bears, the species behind the much-loved Paddington Bear.

With a target of £20,000, the public is being urged to support the Big Give Earth Raise campaign between April 22–29, to protect the bears' fragile forest habitat in Bolivia.

Funds will support the zoo's Andean Carnivore Conservation Programme, which protects bears, jaguars and other at-risk species living in the precious but highly threatened Inter-Andean dry forests of Bolivia.

Andean bears are listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, with habitats that have shrunk dramatically over the last century.

Cattle farming has contributed to widespread deforestation, with 94% of the region's original forest cover already lost. Shy, largely vegetarian animals, Andean bears are sometimes killed in retaliation for livestock losses, despite posing little threat.

"Andean bears are the largest land-based carnivore in Latin America and are the inspiration behind the beloved Paddington Bear books," said Paul Bamford, Chester Zoo's regional field programme senior manager for Latin America.

"As seed distributers and trail-makers, they are important to the health of their habitats. But two thirds of Andean bears live outside legally protected areas.

"They survive alongside marginalised communities that have been pushed to rely on sources of income that damage bear habitats, including cattle farming. By working with communities to safeguard the bears, we safeguard the landscape, too."

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The Andean Carnivores Conservation Project monitors bears in Bolivia's Tarija region and supports communities to adopt more sustainable livelihoods.

Field conservationist Ximena Velez-Liendo, who works with Chester Zoo, has spent decades promoting conservation and human-wildlife coexistence.

She said: "I've spent my entire professional life working with bears, and it has been amazing to see this project evolve. We're helping people and wildlife survive and thrive."

Since the Chester Zoo-backed project began ten years ago, her work has identified a previously unknown bear population and improved understanding of the wider ecosystem.

"The project is about practical action as well as research," said Dr Velez-Liendo. "We now support honey and coffee producers to farm in ways that benefit bears and communities.

"People receive more dependable income streams, and improved soil conditions means better crops and faster forest regeneration.

"None of this would be possible without the support of people who care about bear conservation."

She urged supporters to donate during the campaign week to double their impact, with funds helping provide essential field equipment and transport for remote research teams.

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The Big Give Earth Raise is a national annual initiative supporting conservation charities tackling urgent environmental challenges.

You can support the project here.