Why in news: Peruvian municipalities have passed a landmark ordinance granting legal rights to Amazonian stingless bees (Meliponini), making them the first insects in the world to be legally recognised as entities with rights.
About Stingless Bees (Meliponini)
- Ancient Origin: Oldest bee lineage on Earth, existing for nearly 80 million years.
- Anatomy: Possess highly reduced stingers, functionally useless for defense.
- Diversity: ~500 species globally, with over 170 species in Peru.
- Honey: Produces “liquid gold” honey with potent antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties.
- Ecological Role: Pollinate ~80% of Amazonian flora, including cacao, coffee, avocados, blueberries, sustaining forest biodiversity.
Habitat & Cultural Significance
- Found in tropical forests worldwide, especially Amazon rainforest.
- Integrated into Indigenous traditions, including cultural, medicinal, and spiritual practices (e.g., Asháninka and Kukama-Kukamiria communities).
Significance of Legal Recognition
- Rights Granted: Bees now have the right to exist, maintain healthy populations, regenerate natural cycles, live in pollution-free habitats, and legal representation when threatened.
- Global First: First instance of insects granted legal rights anywhere.
- Conservation Impact: Strengthens the fight against deforestation, pollution, and habitat destruction.
- Advances Rights of Nature: Moves environmental law from human-centred protection to ecosystem-centred justice.
Implications for Biodiversity & Policy
- Provides a legal framework for protecting keystone pollinators.
- Could inspire Rights of Nature legislation globally, promoting ecosystem-level conservation.
- Highlights the role of legal innovations in climate and biodiversity policy.
IAS-2026 - OPTIONAL / GEOGRAPHY / PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION / SOCIOLOGY / ANTHROPOLOGY / ORIENTATION ON 03 & 04-10-2025 
