What we are looking to solve

Almost half of all stingless bee species in the world are found in the Amazon Rainforest, including Peru.

In Peru, the law N. 26305 only recognises and promotes the foreign honey bee Apis mellifera, ignoring the over 170 stingless bees species native to Peru and our Amazonía. This lack of legal recognition poses an urgent threat to bees, their ecosystems, and the Amazonian communities that depend on them.

What we asked Congress

1) Legally recognise stingless bees for the first time in Peru

2) A call for the conservation of all bees, their ecosystems and the indigenous knowledge associated

Where are we so far

After a lot of work, our petition has been approved at the commission-level in Congress.

It is now passing onto debate by the full Congress. If approved then, it becomes national law!

Who is leading this initiative

This work was inspired by long-standing collaborations and engagement with Peruvian Amazonian indigenous communities including the Ashaninka, Kukama-kukamiria, Awajum and Ticuna groups. Community leaders have sent letters to Congress in support of this initiative. This project is led by Amazon Research Internacional in collaboration with Peruvian scientist and stingless bee expert Cesar Delgado, the Earth Law Center, Rights For Nature, and multiple indigenous communities across the Peruvian Amazon.

Updated November 2024