Wildlife

Condors

The Andean condor holds a mythic place in South American history, represented in Andean art dating to 2500 B.C. Still today, it is the official symbol of a number of nations. It also faces threats— from the loss of its habitat, from the farmers that view the bird as a danger to their livestock, from poisoning directed at other wildlife or feral dogs, or from power lines, which condors sometimes collide with.

Since 1999, WCS has worked with local Bolivian communities on sustainable natural resource management in the Madidi-Tambopata landscape, a 42,500­-square-mile stronghold for condors, among other iconic wildlife species. Here, WCS scientists are monitoring wildlife populations and working to develop trans­boundary conservation plans that encompass the landscape's borders in northern Bolivia and southern Peru.

WCS facilitated a process to systematize information on Andean condors across its range, including the identification of 21 Andean Condor Priority Conservation Units—many of which overlap with our Nature’s Strongholds in the Tropical Andes and Southern Cone.