According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, the sun bear is a vulnerable species at high risk of extinction. Scientists are unclear as to how many of these small bears remain in the wild, since no reliable census data is available. However, like many endangered species, the sun bear’s habitat is subject to tremendous pressure and is disappearing at an alarming rate. This habitat destruction (a loss of thousands of square kilometers per year in Sumatra and Borneo alone) is one of the two primary conservation threats to the species.

Sun bears have historically been found throughout the Southeast Asian region, from India and China in the north down through Malaysia, Indonesia, and Borneo in the south. There are two subspecies of sun bears: the mainland variety, found in the northern, central, and Sumatran part of the range; the Bornean variety, found exclusively on the island of Borneo. Both subspecies are at risk, though the IUCN does not differentiate levels of threat at the subspecies level in the case of the sun bear.

The region of the world inhabited by the sun bear is a place of large, often fast-growing human populations. For example, the country of Indonesia, with a landmass nearly three times the size of the state of Texas, is home to about 235 million people (the population of Texas was about 23.5 million in 2006). Laos, about twice the size of Pennsylvania, has a population growing at a rate of 2.8% per annum as of 2003 (according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Pennsylvania boasted a growth rate of 1.3% in 2006).

Although the human population growth rate in the areas of sun bear habitat is high, loss of habitat results from industries supported by consumers around the world. Primary causes of habitat destruction include clear cutting to develop farming plantations, illegal lumber extraction, unsustainable logging, and forest fires. Logging of tropical hardwoods such as mahogany and ramin continues as consumers in the industrialized world demand furniture and home décor items such as picture frames, wooden blinds, and decorative moldings made of these woods.

Plantation farming in the last several years has focused on one primary product: palm oil. Consumers worldwide are enjoying supermarket fare such as chocolate, bread, cosmetics, and detergents made with unsustainably harvested palm oil. They may not be aware that their purchases are having a direct impact on the survivability of the sun bear, as well as other endearing species that share their habitat: the orangutan, Sumatran tiger, and bearded pig, to name a few.

There is another great threat to the conservation of the sun bear: commercial hunting. Throughout its home range, the bear is killed as a means of acquiring infant bears for the pet trade, or bear parts for the medicinal trade, or simply because the bears are considered a nuisance or safety hazard. Hunting of sun bears is largely an issue in countries where deforestation is relatively negligible, places where most bear habitat exists only in protected reserves or forests. However, poaching can be a devastating influence, too: Thailand’s sun bear numbers are thought to have been reduced by 50 percent in the last 20 years as a result of hunting. Bile farming with sun bears exists in countries such as Vietnam, where wild bears are often caught to supplement the stock of animals used to extract this fluid used for its purported medicinal purposes.

Smart consumer choices of savvy global citizens can go a long way toward increasing the survivorship of the sun bear. When selecting wood products for your home, choose items that are sustainably harvested, ensuring that the wood was not taken illegally or in a manner that will harm bear habitat. The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certifies products that are environmentally responsible, made from wood that does not contribute to the destruction of the world’s forests. Their logo can be found on items in places like big home supply stores to smaller home décor shops.

If you are traveling to any of the exotic locales in which sun bears may be residents, please be wary of purchasing bear products you might find in markets. In most cases, your government would not allow importation of such animal souvenirs purchased abroad, thanks to the terms of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), of which many nations are signatories. Even so, the purchase of animal products clearly has a direct link to the death of that animal, and a vulnerable species such as the sun bear should not be subject to commercial sale.

The outlook for the sun bear is rather bleak. With 30 percent of its habitat disappearing in the last 30 years, the pressure is on for the “dog-faced bear.” Fortunately, this is one species that can be impacted by the efforts of people living thousands of miles away from sun bear habitat. Smart consumers can really play a roll by voting with their dollar, purchasing sustainable products as they go about their daily activities. If enough people support environmentally friendly methods of producing goods such as those outlined above, there may yet be hope that sun bears will continue to exist in the wild for future generations to appreciate.

Suzanne Hall is a senior research technician with the San Diego Zoo’s Giant Panda Unit.

Listen to an iZoofari Chat about sun bears with Suzanne…
…and a chat with a sun bear keeper (with a sun bear chiming in!)…

Posted in Default, Conservation, CRES (Conservation and Research for Endangered Species), General, Bear Awareness Days | Link to this post

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