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News: Amazonian stingless bees became the world’s first insect to get legal rights after ordinances passed by Satipo and Nauta municipalities in Peru.
About Amazonian Stingless Bees
- Amazonian stingless bees are bees that either lack stingers or have stingers that cause little pain.
- Location: They are found mainly in tropical regions. About half of the 500 known species live in the Amazon, with more than 170 species in Peru.
- Origin: These bees have existed for nearly 80 million years, dating back to the time of the dinosaurs.
- Significance
- Ecological: They pollinate over 80% of Amazonian flora and support crops like cacao, coffee, avocados, and blueberries.
- Cultural: They are central to Asháninka and Kukama-Kukamiria traditions, knowledge systems, and spiritual beliefs.
- Other: Their honey is used as traditional medicine and has anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, and anti-viral properties.
- Threats: Stingless bees face habitat loss due to deforestation, illegal logging, agriculture, cattle grazing, forest fires, climate change, pesticides, and competition from European bees.
Amazonian Stingless Bees To Get Legal Rights
- Ordinances passed in: The landmark ordinances were first passed in the Peruvian municipality of Satipo (October 2025) and later in Nauta (December 2025).
- Legal Status: They are the first insects in the world to be recognized as “rights-bearing entities”.
- The declaration is called the Declaration of Rights for Native Stingless Bees.
- Declaration developed by: The declaration was developed with Asháninka leaders and community members, with support from Amazon Research Internacional and the Earth Law Center.
- Rights provided: The bees have rights to exist, thrive, maintain healthy populations, restore habitats, live pollution-free, and be legally represented.
