In a world-first victory for the Rights of Nature, stingless bees of the Amazon have been formally recognised as legal rights-bearing beings in two regions of the Peruvian rainforest. These ancient, stingless pollinators (cultivated by Indigenous peoples for millennia and responsible for pollinating over 80% of Amazonian flora) now hold the legal right to exist, flourish, and be protected from harm. Passed in the municipalities of Satipo and Nauta, the ordinances mark a profound shift in how law acknowledges and relates to the living world, recognising bees not as resources, but as vital members of Earth’s community with the right to a healthy habitat and legal representation. Rooted in Indigenous knowledge, scientific research, and years of advocacy, this landmark decision sets a powerful global precedent, one that we hope will inspire similar protections for pollinators worldwide.
Read the full story behind this historic Rights of Nature win here.
