For the first time in global legal history, a country has recognized the legal rights of insects
Municipalities in Satipo and Nauta in Peru have approved ordinances that recognize native stingless bees and their habitat as legal subjects with rights to exist, to thrive, and to be defended in court. It is the first time anywhere in the world that an insect species receives this kind of legal status. In practical terms, the Satipo and Nauta ordinances read almost like a small bill of rights for bees. The texts recognize a right to exist and prosper, to maintain healthy populations. Any company, agency or individual that harms their colonies can now be sued on behalf of the bees.
ECONEWS: In a remote corner of the Amazon rainforest, a tiny pollinator has just gained something usually reserved for people and companies. Municipalities in Satipo and Nauta in Peru have approved ordinances that recognize native stingless bees and their habitat as legal subjects with rights to exist, to thrive, and to be defended in court. It is the first time anywhere in the world that an insect species receives this kind of legal status.
These local rules sit on top of a 2024 reform passedby Congress of the Republic of Peru that brought stingless bees under formal state protection as native bees and as part of the country’s biological heritage.
Why should anyone outside the rainforest care about a legal victory for small, black bees that do not sting. Because they quietly support much of what ends up on kitchen tables.
Researchers estimate that about half of the roughly 500 known stingless bee species live in the Amazon region, and that they help pollinate around eighty percent of tropical plant species, including cacao, coffee, avocados and many wild fruits.
In practical terms, the Satipo and Nauta ordinances read almost like a small bill of rights for bees. The texts recognize a right to exist and prosper, to maintain healthy populations, to live in a clean and intact habitat with ecologically stable climate conditions, to regenerate natural cycles, and to receive legal representation if pollution, deforestation or new projects threaten their survival.
Any company, agency or individual that harms their colonies can now be sued on behalf of the bees, with courts required to consider not only human losses but damage to the species and the forest itself…
Giving legal standing to stingless bees will not, by itself, save the Amazon. It does, however, shift the legal spotlight toward the small workers that keep forests and food systems running, and invites other governments to ask a simple question. If an insect can have the right to exist, what else in nature deserves a legal voice. SONIA RAMIREZ
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