Study on circular economy in the Amazon is published by Nature

An article by professors Michel Xocaira Paes and José Antonio Puppim de Oliveira at Fundação Getulio Vargas’ Sao Paulo School of Business Administration (FGV EAESP) and João Vitor Campos e Silva at Rio Grande do Norte Federal University, about circular economy integration in the Amazon, has just been published by Nature, one of the world’s most prestigious scientific journals.

The Amazon is home to rich biological and cultural diversity and its people have in-depth knowledge of natural resource management. In the article, titled “Integrating circular economy in urban Amazon,” the authors say that despite this, many parts of the region are increasingly urban but they lack basic urban services such as waste management.

In this context, they argue that there is no single solution to ensure a sustainable future for the Amazon, but the most important thing is certainly to reconcile biodiversity conservation, urbanization and local development. Although political support to this end is not always present, alignment between local co-management arrangements and the circular economy can generate major social and ecological results, including food and energy security, lower production costs and environmental impacts, and increased value added in the region’s production chains.

The authors believe that Brazilian society, the international community and market players should work together with the Brazilian government on a more sustainable long-term policy for the Amazon, with a special focus on traditional communities and biodiversity assets, which can generate wealth and well-being for forest dwellers.

The complete article in English is available on Nature’s website.