In an unprecedented step for the protection of insects everywhere, stingless bees in Peru have recently been granted legal rights.
Stingless bees native to the Amazon rainforest were recently given legal protections by the Peruvian-Amazon municipalities of Satipo and Nauta in order to support their survival and ongoing population health.
Deforestation, climate change, and the competition of the introduced European honeybee are just a few of the many threats posed to this indigenous species, according to findings from the International Climate Initiative.
This order of protection was built upon a pre-existing law which had recognized stingless bees as valuable native pollinators of the Amazon. The new law emphasizes the importance of the stingless bee for the Amazonian ecosystem. It also intends to support the growth of the species, and heralds a new age of wildlife protections in an age of mass extinctions.
Says Constanza Prieto, a director at the Earth Law Center who campaigned for the law: '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'.
From the 1500's to January 2025, the European bee was the only bee to be recognized by Peruvian law. This law signifies reparative progress for Peru's indigenous populations who have co-existed with the bees for thousands of years and attribute strong cultural and spiritual meanings with the stingless species.
The increasing decline of the native bee species has been systematically researched by Dr Rosa Vásquez Espinoza, the founder of Amazon Research Internacional. She has been advocating for the rights of stingless bees for years.
In her research, she discovered that the Africanized bee, an aggressive variety of bee that was bred to produce more honey, was outperforming the stingless bee species.
The Africanized bee deprives not only the stingless bee of resources, but also other native animals such as hummingbirds and bats who rely on nectar as a food source. With the competition of the invasive Africanized bee, compounded with pesticide use, deforestation, and climate change, the stingless bee is at an increasing risk of becoming an endangered species.
The stingless bee, as well as bats, birds and other insects such as butterflies, beetles and moths play a crucial role as pollinators for over 80 per cent of the Amazon's flora (IPBES, 2016, p. 16). This includes crops such as cacao, avocados, and coffee. The stingless bee’s co-evolution with the native vegetation provides a symbiotic harmony that cannot be replicated by invasive species.
Not only do stingless bees promote biodiversity, but they are a key player in Peru's economy, given that agriculture makes up 13 per cent of Peru's economic exports. To put this into perspective, agriculture makes up less than 10 per cent of the US and France's total exports combined. Peru's economy would suffer greatly without the stingless bee to pollinate its highest exporting crops.
Rights of Nature Law
While the stingless bee is the first insect to be granted legal rights, various species of animals and even plants have been granted legal rights. In 2023, sea turtles in Panama were acknowledged as a ‘subject of rights’ under a Rights of Nature law.
The Rights of Nature laws are a series of laws associated with the Rights of Nature, a concept which recognizes natural entities as having inherent rights comparable to the fundamental rights of humans.
One of the first advocates for this concept was Thomas Berry, an eco-theologian (an individual who studies ecology and theology).
In his words: ‘The universe is a communion of subjects, not a collection of objects’. A subject is regarded as a being that possesses agency, experiences consciousness, and has the ability to observe. The Rights of Nature proposes that natural, non-human entities should be afforded the autonomy of a ‘subject’ rather than an ‘object’.
Under the Rights of Nature law, the stingless bee now has the same protections afforded to humans. This marks a revolutionary stride for the rights of wildlife during a time where climate change and habitat destruction are drastically reducing biodiversity.
However, these protections only exist within the Avireri-Vraem Reserve, which constitutes only 2.5 percent of the Peruvian jungle. Since the law was passed, traction has been growing for a global petition, calling for the law to be made nation-wide.
To sign the petition for the nationwide protection of stingless bees, click here
References:
IPBES. Pollinators, Pollination, and Food Production - Assessment Report
The Guardian. Stingless bees from the Amazon granted legal rights in world first
Article by Lydia Koulaouzos
Image sourced from Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 3.0