Satipo (Perú) Municipal Ordinance: rights of stingless bees

Summary

On October 21, 2025, the provincial municipality of Satipo, Peru approved Ordinance N° 33, declaring the rights of stingless bees within the territory of the Avireri-Vraem Biosphere Reserve. The Avireri-Vraem Biosphere Reserve is a large protected area in central Peru, established by UNESCO in 2021, that includes nearly 16,000 square miles of diverse ecosystems from the Amazon rainforest to the Andes mountains. The new ordinance builds on a national law passed in 2024 that granted protections to the native bees and acknowledged them as species of economic importance. Until then, only European honeybees (Apis mellifera) were protected under Peruvian law.

Stingless bees are the oldest bee species on the planet. About half of the world’s 500 known species live in the Amazon, and Peru is home to at least 175 species. The bees play vital roles in the Peruvian Amazon rainforest ecosystem and are responsible for pollinating more than 80% of the flora, including crops like cacao, coffee ,and avocados. They also hold deep cultural and spiritual meaning for the Amazon Indigenous Asháninka and Kukama-Kukamiria peoples, reflecting their coexistence with the rainforest and Indigenous traditional knowledge passed down from generation to generation.

The initiative addresses the alarming decline of native bee populations, which are threatened by deforestation, pesticide use, and climate change. This loss endangers the cultural heritage and sustainable economies of the Asháninka Indigenous Communities, which for generations have practiced meliponiculture (the traditional farming of stingless bees), maintaining four key species that are vital for local flora reproduction. The Declaration seeks to protect these pollinators and the ancestral knowledge associated with them by recognizing the inherent rights of these bees to exist and maintain healthy populations, ecologically sustainable climatic conditions, and a healthy environment free from pollution and other impacts, among others.

This initiative is led by Dr. Rosa Vásquez Espinoza, founder of Amazon Research Internacional, who has spent the last years advocating for stingless bee rights. The Declaration was developed in collaboration with the Earth Law Center and EcoAsháninka—an organization that represents around 8,000 people from 25 Indigenous Asháninka, Machiguenga and Kakinte communities based in the Asháninka reserve.

Earlier in 2025, Espinoza led a two-week scientific expedition inside the protected area, joined by several Peruvian officials, including a local government representative from Satipo, as well as Asháninka leaders and Peruvian and international scientists. The expedition charted the bees threatened habitats, trained local community members on reviving their dwindling populations, and facilitated workshops on what it would mean to recognize and defend the insects as rights-bearing entities. Espinoza said this work was vital to the adoption of the new declaration and preparing community members to lead its implementation with the support of local government.

Impact Statement

This declaration is the first time any government has recognized the rights of an insect, and the first legal recognition of bee rights worldwide. The campaign engaged over 650 community members (60% women, 10% youth), established 11 bee sanctuaries (including two in Indigenous schools), and protects 22 million bees across 300,000 m² of rainforest.

Involved Organizations