Adopt a medicinal tree
Contribute to the conservation of native species and support Indigenous communities that safeguard the ancestral wisdom of the Amazon.
It is not just a tree; it is life, medicine, and ancestral knowledge
Indigenous communities of the Amazon have used plants for thousands of years to care for health, keeping their traditional medicine alive. For many peoples, plants have a spirit and are part of a deep relationship with nature.
Native medicinal trees sustain the life of the forest: they feed stingless bees, maintain ecosystems, and store carbon. Today, many of these species are at risk due to deforestation, putting both biodiversity and ancestral knowledge in danger.
Become a guardian of the Amazon by protecting native bees
What is a rational beehive?
A rational or sustainable beehive is a wooden box designed to house colonies of native stingless bees—each with between 2,000 and 3,000 bees—essential pollinators for the life of the Amazon rainforest.
This system enables a technical approach to beekeeping that strengthens colonies, improves their management, and protects key species for biodiversity.
Each hive is crafted by Kukama meliponiculturists using low-impact wood and sustainable practices. Its design respects the natural structure of the nest and supports the multiplication of colonies without causing harm.
In this way, it not only protects the bees but also promotes a conservation model that keeps the forest in balance.
When is the colony transferred to rational beehives?
• When the nest is at risk.
If the colony is located in a dry log, an unstable tree, or in an environment affected by heavy rains, deforestation, fires, or pests, it is transferred to a rational beehive to protect it.
• To multiply and conserve colonies.
When the nest is healthy, the transfer can be carried out to multiply the colony and promote meliponiculture, the sustainable rearing of native bees practiced by Amazonian peoples for centuries. This process is carried out with extreme care to preserve the colony and avoid damaging the tree that hosts it.
Sustainable beehives are located in the buffer zone of the Pacaya Samiria Reserve, alongside Kukama Kukamiria families from the community of San Francisco, in the district of Nauta, Loreto region.
Photo by Ana Sotelo
Adopt a rational beehive
Your adoption supports the care and strengthening of rational beehives, working alongside Indigenous meliponiculture families who protect native stingless bees and keep the Amazon forest alive.
Choose a species, support its conservation, and receive real impact updates.
Ronsapilla
Melipona Eburnea
Strong, generous, and always busy, the Ronsapilla is the forest’s great producer. Very similar to the common bee (Apis mellifera), but stingless, it transforms flowers into medicinal honey.
Angelita
Melipona Tetragonisca Angustula
Small, agile, and always on the move, the Angelita is the forest’s delicate guardian. It works as a team, carefully tends every detail of its hive, and produces a honey highly valued for its antibiotic properties.
Illota
Melipona Illota
Discrete, resilient, and deeply connected to the forest, the Melipona Illota works silently to maintain the natural balance. It doesn’t seek attention, but it is the invisible heart of the Amazon.
What does it mean to adopt?
Adopting a beehive is a meaningful way to protect native stingless bees while supporting Kukama Kukamiria meliponiculture families who care for them and sustain their livelihoods.
Through your adoption, you help conserve one of the oldest bee species on Earth, protect hives with 2,000–3,000 bees, support the pollination of over 80% of Amazonian flora, and promote the production of medicinal honey—while strengthening the communities that safeguard the forest.
This is a symbolic adoption, but with a real impact: you are not buying a hive—you are making its conservation possible.
What are the benefits of adoption?
You will receive a personalized digital certificate with your name or a name of your choice if you wish to gift this meaningful action.
A plaque with your name will be assigned to the beehive starting from the third month of adoption.
Story of the community caring for the adopted beehive.
Monthly photo and video updates on the condition of the beehive.
Frequently Asked Questions About Adopting Your Beehive
-
To contribute to the sustainable care of a beehive, supporting Kukama families who protect the bees and the forest.
-
Yes. You do not acquire ownership of a beehive, but your contribution has a real impact on bee conservation and the well-being of the communities that protect them.
-
Sustainable beehives are located in the buffer zone of the Pacaya Samiria Reserve, alongside Kukama Kukamiria families from the community of San Francisco, in the district of Nauta, Loreto Region.
-
The beehives are cared for by Indigenous families trained in sustainable meliponiculture.
They combine ancestral knowledge with modern techniques to ensure the well-being of the bees. -
You will receive a personalized digital certificate, the story of the community caring for your beehive, a plaque with your name assigned to the beehive after the third month of adoption, and monthly photos and/or videos.
-
You will receive everything by email, including your certificate and updates related to your adoption.
-
Yes. You can gift an adoption to a friend or family member. You will receive a personalized certificate with the name of the person you wish to surprise.