BIOECONOMY: a definition based on the reality and issues for the development of the Amazon

Abstract

This text discusses the bioeconomy as a contested concept, highlighting its historical evolution and different interpretations. It analyzes three main approaches —biotechnological, bioresource-based, and bioecological — and their implications for development, especially in the Amazon. It argues that the bioecological bioeconomy, with its clear but not exclusive prominence, is more suitable for the Amazonian context because it prioritizes biodiversity conservation, the integration of society and nature, and the sustainable use of resources. The article criticizes exogenous and homogeneous models, arguing in favor of predominantly endogenous economic strategies based on socio-biodiversity. It also emphasizes the role of urban mediation between economy and biodiversity in the construction of economic models that seek the effective articulation of natural diversity, productive diversification, social inclusion, and preservation of the biome.