The concept of bioeconomy is increasingly present in international forums like the United Nations climate summits (COP) and G20 meetings. However, despite its recent incorporation by environmentalists, governments and companies, the idea of generating wealth while preserving nature is not new for Amazon communities. “Our communities have lived in, managed and preserved the forest for millennia, using biodiversity, water and the land to guarantee their livelihoods with autonomy and abundance,” a group of 25 traditional communities stated in a letter published Nov. 14. The document responded to a statement by Pará’s state governor, Helder Barbalho, in Baku, Azerbaijan, during COP29. In his speech, he said carbon projects would help Indigenous people “to feed themselves, to dream and to have quality of life, without having to propose as a solution for their communities illegal mining and mineral extraction.” Amazon traditional communities are experts in making their living from small plots by collecting forest fruits and cultivating small gardens. Despite doing the job’s harder part, studies show that these families earn the smallest share of the profits. In the case of Brazil nuts, for example, 79% of the profits go to the processing industry and only 11% remain with the forest communities. Regarding cocoa, rural producers and agro-extractives in Brazil get up to 6% of the money, while processing companies based in Europe get 24% of the profits. Large international chocolate producers, like Mars Inc. and Nestlé, own more than 70% of the profits. Bought for a maximum of $1.43 in the…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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