STORY-TRÅD·politik

Pan-amazonian platform compiles 232 public policies for bioeconomy

The Pan-Amazon region, which encompasses nine South American countries, has at least 232 public policies, programs, and instruments related to the bioeconomy. According to analysts, this productive potential is constrained by a lack of integration among governments, difficulties in accessing credit, and barriers to the effective implementation of business initiatives. To facilitate coordination among countries, the Pan-Amazonian Network for the Bioeconomy launched the Radar Bioecon platform on Thursday (Oct. 22). It compiles information on public instruments designed to support economic activities based on the region’s biodiversity. Notícias relacionadas:Biocosmetics combine science and riverine traditions in Amazon.Amazon records lowest deforestation level in 41 years.The tool will be presented during the 17th United Nations Conference on Biological Diversity (COP17) in Yerevan, Armenia. The survey spans eight countries in the Pan-Amazon region - Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela - as well as French Guiana, a French territory in South America. The mapping covers a range of instruments, from national bioeconomy strategies to credit mechanisms, public procurement, production incentives, and instruments to support community-based enterprises. The platform allows users to explore and compare these initiatives, with the goal of identifying best practices that can be shared and opportunities for regional cooperation. The economic potential of the Amazonian bioeconomy is already evident in activities that rely on standing forests and local knowledge. In Brazil’s Legal Amazon, just 13 socio-biodiversity products contribute at least BRL 12 billion annually to gross domestic product (GDP), according to the study The New Economy of the Amazon, led by the World Resources Institute (WRI) Brazil. Examples include açaí and Brazil nuts. According to Juliana Simões, co-leader of the Public Policy Working Group of the Pan-Amazonian Network for the Bioeconomy and a public policy and bioeconomy specialist at The Nature Conservancy (TNC) Brazil, it is essential to ensure that resources and programs reach cooperatives, associations, and local enterprises. “For the bioeconomy to establish itself as an alternative for economic development in the Pan-Amazon region, we need to treat it as a national priority, with long-term planning and continuity in public policies,” Simões argues. The survey found that these initiatives are spread across different government agencies and are not always classified as bioeconomy policies. Depending on the country, they appear under names such as biotrade, biobusiness, green entrepreneurship, or indigenous and community economies. In Brazil, highlighted initiatives include the National School Feeding Program (PNAE) and the Food Procurement Program (PAA), which open markets for local producers. Another example is the Policy on Guaranteed Minimum Prices for Socio-biodiversity Products (PGPMBio), which establishes minimum prices for 17 extractive products and seeks to reduce fluctuations in producers’ incomes. In Colombia, the mapping identifies mechanisms to support sustainable businesses. In Ecuador, it identifies credit initiatives for cooperatives and community-based enterprises. Bruno Castro Lacerda, co-leader of a working group within the Pan-Amazonian Network for the Bioeconomy and a conservation-focused bioeconomy consultant at Conservation International, explains that comparing these policies helps identify gaps and best practices that can inspire other countries. “This regional perspective is important for strengthening cooperation among countries and developing long-term sustainable policies, helping to consolidate the bioeconomy as a strategic development agenda,” Lacerda says. Financing Access to financial resources is another obstacle identified by the survey. A study by the Pan-Amazonian Network for the Bioeconomy mapped 141 financing mechanisms focused on the region’s bioeconomy. Of these, only 8.5 percent address socio-biodiversity. Although climate funds, credit lines, and incentive programs exist, collateral requirements and bureaucratic procedures hinder access to these resources for cooperatives, associations, and community-based enterprises. The report advocates for adapting these instruments to the characteristics of Amazonian production and for greater integration among economic, productive, and environmental policies. The Bioecon Radar was developed by the Public Policy Working Group of the Pan-Amazonian Network for the Bioeconomy. Users may suggest new policies or updates to existing entries, which will then undergo a curation process. The initiative is presented as the first step in a broader effort to identify implementation gaps and opportunities for regional integration.