'Little Angels' Are First Insects to Win Legal Rights

Stingless bees in Peru's Amazon are now more than just pollinators—they're legal subjects with rights, in what advocates say is the first such protection for insects anywhere. Two municipalities, Satipo in the Junin region and Nauta in Loreto, have passed ordinances recognizing native stingless bees' rights "to exist and thrive"; to live in clean, stable habitats; and to be represented in court when those rights are threatened, per the Guardian. The move follows years of research and lobbying led by chemical biologist Rosa Vasquez Espinoza and the nonprofit Earth Law Center, amid mounting concerns over deforestation, climate change, pesticides, and competition from aggressive Africanized "killer" bees.

Stingless bees—which Espinoza calls "little angels" that most people don't know about, per Inside Climate News—have been cultivated by Indigenous communities since long before European contact. They promote biodiversity and are considered the Amazon's primary pollinators, responsible for more than 80% of plant pollination in the rainforest, including for cacao, coffee, and avocados, per the Guardian. They also provide honey rich in bioactive compounds with potential anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antibacterial, antioxidant, and even anti-cancer properties, according to Espinoza's analyses.

For Indigenous groups such as the Ashaninka and Kukama-Kukamiria, the bees hold cultural and spiritual importance, embodying knowledge handed down through generations. Research mapping bee populations tied their decline to forest loss, helping secure a 2024 national law recognizing stingless bees as Peru's native bees—a key step, since native species must be protected under Peruvian law. The new municipal ordinances go further by establishing a legal mandate for habitat restoration, strict pesticide controls, climate mitigation measures, and expanded scientific study.

Supporters hope the precedent will spread: An Avaaz petition urging Peru to adopt bee rights nationwide has drawn hundreds of thousands of signatures, and groups in Bolivia, the Netherlands, and the United States are examining the model for their own wild-bee protections. Animals other than insects have earned similar legal protections, like Panamanian sea turtles and all wildlife in Ecuador, per Smithsonian.