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Abstract Meliponiculture, which is the rational keeping of stingless bees, has been practiced for centuries by pre-colonial populations and has been gaining adepts in recent years. In addition to being an alternative for the conservation of these pollinators, it is an activity that promotes sustainability. From a theoretical point of view, disciplinary approaches are insufficient to understand meliponiculture, due to the multiplicity of Domains and aspects that compose it. Thus, this manuscript proposes a theoretical model to analyze meliponiculture in an interdisciplinary way, dealing with the environmental, cultural, social and economic Domains. Such activity should be encouraged through participatory and interdisciplinary public policies, integrating the various factors involved, such as honey farmers (meliponists), scientists, governments, companies and non-governmental organizations. Public policy approaches to meliponiculture as an economic activity must respect the conservation needs of the stingless bee species, and whenever possible, the social and cultural values attributed to the activity.

Abstract Meliponiculture, which is the rational keeping of stingless bees, has been practiced for centuries by pre-colonial populations and has been gaining adepts in recent years. In addition to being an alternative for the conservation of these pollinators, it is an activity that promotes sustainability. From a theoretical point of view, disciplinary approaches are insufficient to understand meliponiculture, due to the multiplicity of Domains and aspects that compose it. Thus, this manuscript proposes a theoretical model to analyze meliponiculture in an interdisciplinary way, dealing with the environmental, cultural, social and economic Domains. Such activity should be encouraged through participatory and interdisciplinary public policies, integrating the various factors involved, such as honey farmers (meliponists), scientists, governments, companies and non-governmental organizations. Public policy approaches to meliponiculture as an economic activity must respect the conservation needs of the stingless bee species, and whenever possible, the social and cultural values attributed to the activity.

The American stingless bees species have been used in management and breeding practices by local civilizations since the pre-Columbian era. Currently, many of these species are managed commercially and maintained in meliponaries. However, divergences exist among authors about the ecological utility of these practices. Some argue that meliponaries could serve to maintain local biodiversity while others argue that they have the opposite effect. Due to pressure from beekeepers and environmentalists there are efforts to draft specific rules that legislate production and market focusing on conservating native bees. In recent years, these norms have become more specific due to the use of empirical data from the scientific community and demands from social groups and producers. This paper presents a revision on Brazilian legislation as well its applicabilities and proposes alterations in the Environmental Crimes Law. ; As espécies de abelhas produtoras de mel e própolis nativas do continente americano têm sido usadas em práticas de manejo e reprodução por civilizações locais desde tempos pré-colombianos. Atualmente, muitas dessas espécies são manejadas comercialmente e mantidas em meliponários. No entanto, existem, na literatura, divergências sobre a utilidade ecológica dessas práticas. Alguns autores argumentam que os meliponários são fontes de manutenção da biodiversidade local, enquanto outros argumentam que eles têm o efeito oposto. Devido à pressão dos meliponicultores e ambientalistas, há esforços para elaborar regras específicas que legislem a produção e o mercado, focando na conservação das abelhas nativas. Nos últimos anos, essas normas tornaram-se mais específicas devido ao uso de dados empíricos da comunidade científica, e buscam atender a demanda dos grupos sociais e produtores. Este artigo propõe uma revisão da legislação brasileira, bem como sua aplicabilidade, e propõem alterações na Lei de Crimes Ambientais.