The leader of his Indigenous village, Jekupe, claims that bees are extremely sensitive. "They act as a kind of woodland thermometer. If they vanish, you know something is amiss.

One of the six communities that comprise the Jaragud Indigenous Territory is Yvy Por. 

Native bee numbers have decreased along with the forest. And without the pollination they offer, the remaining forest has struggled to live in places like Yvy Pord.

It is surrounded by working-class communities' concrete and is only 12 miles northwest of downtown Sao Paulo. Although it is only a small portion of a much bigger forest, Brazil's Atlantic Forest spans almost 35,000 square miles, more than 1,800 miles of the Atlantic Coast, 17 Brazilian states, and a small portion of Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay.

This forest, which is still regarded as Brazil's second-largest rainforest, was first cleared for mining and lumber in the early 16th century. Later, in the 19th century, it was cleared for coffee plantations, beef, sugar, firewood, and charcoal. The Atlantic Forest is still being cleared by developers for homes as So Paulo, which is home to 12.4 million people, continues to grow.

A recent survey of the Atlantic Forest supports the widespread perception in Brazil that indigenous peoples are steadfast defenders of the land.

According to a research that was published in the journal Ecological Applications, plant species that depend on bees for pollination are essential to the preservation and restoration of tropical woodlands in Brazil. The researchers came to the conclusion that preserving bee populations should be a top priority for forest restoration while focusing particularly on the Atlantic Forest.

It came out that the people who lived nearby and had a strong bond with their surroundings—the trees and the bees—were in need of assistance.

A recent study of indigenous peoples who reside in the Atlantic Forest supports the widespread perception that indigenous peoples in Brazil act as stewards of the land. The study discovered that Indigenous peoples not only resist further attempts at deforestation but also lead initiatives to restore biomes like the Atlantic Forest, such as the planting of trees and other vegetation that was long ago wiped out by outsiders and the reintroduction of native bees.

Benzeev and her coauthors examined 129 Indigenous lands in the Atlantic Forest as part of a recent research that was published in the journal PNAS Nexus. Where Indigenous people have legal rights to their land, as opposed to Indigenous communities who do not, they discovered either less deforestation or increased reforestation.

Others assist Yvy Pora chief Boggarim in caring for the eight species of local bees he has returned to the community. Each of the foot-tall wooden boxes has a species-specific opening in the front through which stingless bees zip in and out. The boxes are mounted on posts among the trees and have corrugated tin roofs. To ensure that the bees and the forest can mutually benefit, he strategically positioned their 110 hives in clusters around Yvy Por4.

According to Boggarim, "protecting our territory, reforestation, and raising native bees: It's all one job." "We cannot consider them as separate jobs. We cannot have the others without the first.

Boggarim first learned about the significance of the insect to the forest and their society from his father and grandfather. For example, the wax from the jarai is used to create candles for naming rituals and other sacred items needed for their prayer houses. Boggarim now imparts that knowledge to future generations, along with what he has learned from other beekeepers about how to keep an eye on the insects and ensure their well-being.

"We need the government to formally recognize that this is our land if we want to save the forest."

On the Jaragua Indigenous Territory, Boggarim has assisted in the introduction of bees into five villages and has plans for a sixth, as well as considering how they can begin producing and distributing honey. Additionally to giving local families much-needed financial support, it would enable them to educate people outside of their community about their customs and the value of the forest.

"We need the government to formally recognize that this is our land if we want to save the forest," "We are the ones who experience the effects of climate change and destruction every single day. We are the ones who can take action if they move out of the way.

Now all that is required is for President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to approve it and for it to be officially registered.

The president, known as Lula, pledged to sign the 237 Indigenous peoples' land tenure decree requests that were still pending during his election campaign, calling it "a moral commitment, an ethical commitment for those who are humanists, for those who defend Indigenous peoples." The Jaragud Indigenous Territory is not one of the first 13 Indigenous territories whose tenure, according to his administration, will be finalized by the end of this month.