Sun bears are the most arboreal of all bear species and depend on intact tropical forest that is being rapidly destroyed by palm oil, logging, and agricultural expansion across Southeast Asia.
Sun bears in deforested landscapes face welfare impacts from both direct habitat loss and increased human conflict. Bears pushed out of forest by clearing have no alternative habitat available; they may attempt to forage in plantations, leading to conflict with workers and lethal control. Bears trapped in isolated forest fragments experience nutritional stress as fig trees and other key food sources become sparse in degraded forest. Young bears dispersing from their mother face lethal roads and settlements between remaining forest patches. Orphaned cubs rescued from conflict situations require lengthy rehabilitation at specialist centres, during which they experience the stress of captivity and human dependence before gradual reintroduction to wild conditions. The connection between consumer demand for palm oil and sun bear welfare is direct and demonstrable: certification systems that protect High Conservation Value forest maintain sun bear habitat.