The Mexican Supreme Court is considering whether melipona bees should be recognized as subjects of rights and whether Indigenous communities should be recognized as their guardians.

The legal proceedings began after Maya communities in the southeastern state of Campeche asked the high court to recognise the legal standing of melipona bees native to the region. These bees, traditionally cared for by Indigenous communities, play an important role in local culture but are threatened by deforestation, pesticide use, and climate change.

This would be the second case of wild bees being granted legal rights, following the recognition of legal rights for Amazonian stingless bees of the Meliponini tribe in Peru.

Read more in the Mexican media here.