In a landmark environmental and legal development that conservationists are calling a world first, Peru has granted native, nonstinging bees formal legal rights — the first time any insect species has been recognized as rights-bearing under law anywhere on the planet. According to British outlet The Guardian, this unprecedented move by local authorities is being hailed as a major shift in how humans protect nature and signals a new chapter in biodiversity conservation.
The ordinances, adopted by the municipalities of Satipo and Nauta in the Peruvian Amazon, formally recognize native stingless bees — harmless pollinators vital to rainforest ecosystems — as entities with legal rights to exist, thrive, and maintain healthy habitats. The decisions mark the first official legal protection for insects anywhere, establishing a model that advocates hope will be adopted by other nations struggling with rapid pollinator declines, says the Earth Law Center.
“This is a turning point in our relationship with nature,” said Constanza Prieto, Latin America Director at the Earth Law Center, one of the key organizations behind the campaign. She emphasized that the legal recognition reflects the essential ecological and cultural role these bees play in the Amazon and beyond.
Peru’s native stingless bees become the first insects with legal protection rights
Stingless bees — members of the Meliponini people — are a diverse group of native bees that either lack stingers or have nonfunctional ones, making them harmless to people but vital to tropical forests and agricultural systems. Nearly half of the world’s known stingless bee species live in the Amazon basin, and Peru alone is home to more than 170 species. According to Amazon Research Internacional, these pollinators are responsible for fertilizing an estimated 80% of Amazonian plant species, including economically important crops such as cacao, coffee, avocados, and blueberries.
Despite their ecological importance, stingless bees have historically been overlooked by formal environmental laws. While European honeybees (Apis mellifera) have benefited from certain protection, native bees that are crucial to local ecosystems lacked specific conservation safeguards — until now.
The new ordinances grant stingless bees several inherent rights, including the right to exist and thrive, the right to healthy habitats free from pollution, the right to stable ecological climatic conditions, and the right to legal representation when threatened. These protections create enforceable standards that local authorities can use to counteract threats such as deforestation, pesticide use, and climate impacts, says the Earth Law Center.
Indigenous knowledge meets modern law
The movement to recognize legal rights for native bees emerged from close collaboration between Indigenous communities, scientists, and environmental advocates. Indigenous groups such as the Ashaninka and Kukama-Kukamiria have cultivated stingless bees for centuries, relying on them for food, medicine, and cultural traditions. Their deep ecological knowledge played a central role in shaping the Declaration of Rights for Native Stingless Bees, which underpins the legal ordinances.
Rosa Vasquez Espinoza, founder of Amazon Research Internacional, led much of the scientific and community engagement work that helped inform policymakers. Her research highlighted not only the bees’ ecological importance but also the threats they face — from habitat loss due to forest clearing and wildfires to competition from invasive bees and chemical exposure.
Global implications and future prospects
Environmentalists say Peru’s decision could inspire other governments to rethink how they protect pollinators and ecosystems. The recognition of insects as rights-bearing entities is part of a broader “Rights of Nature” movement that seeks to shift legal frameworks from human-centric protection to nature-centric guardianship, says the Daily Caller News Foundation.
Already, campaigns have emerged calling for nationwide adoption of similar legal frameworks across Peru, building on the initial municipal ordinances. International conservation groups and online petitions have amassed hundreds of thousands of signatures urging broader action to safeguard pollinators and other threatened species.
Scientists and community leaders alike hope that this historic decision will not only protect the bees themselves but also strengthen resilience across Amazonian ecosystems and the cultures that depend on them. As insect populations decline worldwide, Peru’s bold approach may offer a path forward for conserving some of the planet’s most essential — and often overlooked — species.