Disputing the bioeconomy-biodiversity nexus in Brazil: Coalitions, discourses and policies

Existing literature on bioeconomy has mostly focused on industrialized countries in the global North and has not paid much attention to the role of biodiversity in promoting new economic activities. However, recent views bring biodiversity to the center stage in the global South. In this article, we present a new framework to analyze the bioeconomy-biodiversity nexus, departing from the conceptual distinction between conventional bioeconomy, the economy of biodiversity, and socio-biodiversity. Built on a triangulation of interviews, policy papers, and scientific literature on sustainability governance in Brazil, we trace the policy evolution of the bioeconomy-biodiversity nexus in this South American country, identifying different coalitions disputing how mainstreaming biodiversity in the bioeconomy. All these approaches present strategies for reconciling biodiversity conservation and socio-economic development. However, they have different emphases on how to achieve these goals. On the one hand, there are actors closer to what we call the economy of biodiversity, advocating new paths for national economic development based on scientific and technological advances and industrialization. On the other hand, we have identified actors with origins in the Brazilian socio-environmental movement who emphasize the need to prioritize social objectives, recognize traditional knowledge, and develop alternative forms of economy in which capitalist profit is not a priority. Our findings show that conflicts and contradictions permeate different paths to engage biodiversity in bioeconomy strategies. However, there is also room for some convergence, which depends on establishing political dialogue between actors with different values and interests.