Amazon stingless bees become world’s first insects granted legal rights

Stingless bees from the Amazon have become the first insects in the world to be granted legal rights, following the passage of landmark ordinances in two regions of the Peruvian Amazon. Supporters say the move could set a global precedent for protecting bees and other pollinators under the law.

The new ordinances recognise the rainforest’s native stingless bees — which, unlike European honeybees, do not sting — as rights-bearing entities with the right to exist, thrive and maintain healthy populations. They also grant the bees the right to a healthy habitat, free from pollution, with stable climatic conditions, and crucially, the right to legal representation in cases of harm or threat, The Guardian writes.

Cultivated by Indigenous peoples since pre-Columbian times, stingless bees are considered vital pollinators in the Amazon, responsible for sustaining biodiversity and ecosystem health. Around half of the world’s 500 known species live in the Amazon, where they pollinate more than 80% of plant species, including cacao, coffee and avocados.

Constanza Prieto, Latin American director at the Earth Law Center, said: “This ordinance marks a turning point in our relationship with nature: it makes stingless bees visible, recognises them as rights-bearing subjects, and affirms their essential role in preserving ecosystems.”

The ordinances follow years of research and advocacy led by Rosa Vásquez Espinoza, founder of Amazon Research Internacional. A chemical biologist, Espinoza began studying stingless bees in 2020 after being asked to analyse their honey, which was used medicinally in Indigenous communities during the Covid pandemic.

“I was seeing hundreds of medicinal molecules, like molecules that are known to have some sort of biological medicinal property,” Espinoza said. “And the variety was also really wild – these molecules have been known to have antiinflammatory effects or antiviral, antibacterial, antioxidant, even anti-cancer.”

Working alongside Indigenous communities, Espinoza documented traditional knowledge of locating, cultivating and harvesting stingless bees. However, community members increasingly reported that bees were becoming harder to find, while chemical analysis revealed traces of pesticides in honey collected far from industrial agriculture.

Research also showed links between deforestation and bee decline, helping lead to a national law in 2024 recognising stingless bees as Peru’s native bees. According to Dr César Delgado of the Institute of Investigation of the Peruvian Amazon, stingless bees are “primary pollinators” essential to biodiversity, forest conservation and global food security.

The research uncovered another threat: competition from Africanised honeybees, a strain created in Brazil in the 1950s. In some areas, these more aggressive bees have displaced stingless bees. In one case, an Asháninka elder described being attacked while visiting her hives, prompting her to ask how to remove the invaders.

“I felt so scared, to be honest,” Espinoza said. “Because I have heard of that before, but not to that extent.”

The first ordinance was passed in Satipo in October, followed by a second in Nauta on December 22. Prieto said the measures require action on habitat restoration, pesticide regulation, climate adaptation and scientific research.

By Sabina Mammadli