Support grows for sustainable development, a ‘bioeconomy,’ in the Amazon

By DAVID BILLER
Associated Press

BELEM, Brazil (AP) — The Brazilian Amazon has long been home to small and mid-sized sustainable businesses that use forest nuts, fruits and other products, and it’s an incubator for new ones. Now there is a push to scale these up, and a new term, “bioeconomy,” was a buzzword at the Amazon Summit in Belem in early August. One state in the northeast, Para, now has an entire bioeconomy plan and another is developing one. To a greater degree than in the past, policymakers are voicing eagerness to protect the rainforest and provide a livelihood for tens of millions of residents who live in and near it.