Scaling up the Amazon’s many bioeconomies requires investment in nature, prosperity, and inclusion (commentary)

Relentless climate change and biodiversity loss are pushing the world’s ecosystems to the brink of collapse. The planet may have already surpassed at least six of nine planetary boundaries crucial for maintaining a safe operating environment for humanity. The only way to slow and eventually reverse course is by eliminating carbon emissions, transitioning to clean energy, and protecting and restoring nature. This means shifting the prevailing economic paradigm so that forests are more valuable standing than cleared. One way to do this is by fostering new economic and productive models in the world’s most important biomes.

The Amazon rainforest is widely regarded as one of several key bulwarks against global warming and the transition to a low-carbon future. Yet the Amazon and its extraordinary biodiversity are under threat from extensive cattle ranching, large-scale farming, unsustainable mining, and an ecosystem of illegal activities. Spanning over 8 million km², the Amazon is approaching an irreversible tipping point that could turn rainforest into savannah. Protecting and conserving the world’s largest tropical forest is essential. A paradigm shift is required, one that accelerates and scales high-integrity green enterprises and nature-based solutions, including a bioeconomy.

 

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