Stingless bees

Bringing life back to the Amazon

Our aim

Preserve these tiny life forms that are sentient beings and essential for the regeneration of the Amazon and survival of indigenous knowledge.

What we are doing

  • Conservation

    We focus our efforts in areas with the greatest impact for species conservation

  • Science

    We partner with local experts to conduct high-impact research studies

  • Outreach

    We partner with indigenous communities for Amazonian conservation development

  • Storytelling

    We partner with multi-media artists to share captivating, impactful stories

Latest

Our participation at COP16, Colombia, 2024

We joined forces with the Ministry of Environment in Peru as well as key local and international partners to bring this video to life. It summarizes our joint efforts to safeguard Amazonian stingless bees as a flagship species to preserve the health of Amazonian ecosystems and the transmission of cultural knowledge. Key partners include Institute of Investigation of the Peruvian Amazon; Earth Law Center; Ashaninka indigenous groups

Live forum

We were honored to present our work on safeguarding Amazonian stingless bees and indigenous knowledge at the Peru Pavilion during COP16, invited by the Ministry of Environment. We secured a platform for our indigenous partners, Apu Cesar Ramos, Micaela Fernandez, and Richar Demetrio, who shared our collaborative efforts in scientific honey research, bee mapping, the impact of deforestation, and empowering female leadership in bee conservation. They also highlighted the involvement of indigenous youth as co-authors in these efforts. Dr. Cesar Delgado, a leading stingless bee expert and key advisor at ARI from the Institute of Investigation of the Peruvian Amazon, opened the session with insights from his decade-long research.

Special thanks to the Ministry of Environment, Verónica Cañedo, Fondo Socioambiental del Perú and Earth Law Center for their support.

“Without native bees, there is no Amazon”
— Apu César Ramos, President of EcoAshaninka

Our conservation efforts made the cover of The New York Times (2024)

Stingless bees produce medicinal honey traditionall known as a “miracle liquid” by locals

Article in National Geographic Magazine

Photo by Ana Sotelo

Support our petition to legally recognize and protect stingless bees in Peru for the first time.

This indigenous-led petition has been approved by the Commission of Agriculture of the Congress of the Republic in Peru - we are now advocating for the full Congress to review it to decide if it becomes a NATIONAL law

Takes 30 sec

An Amazonian stingless bee collecting pollen from nearby medicinal plants

Article in Bee Culture Magazine

Photo by Luis Garcia

Stingless bees regenerate degraded ecosystems combating the effect of destructive deforestation practices in the Amazon Rainforest

Interview in Tree Hugger

Photo by Ana Sotelo