Composition and Spatial Distribution of Biodiversity-Based Biofactories in Brazilian Amazonia

Understanding the composition and spatial distribution of Amazonia’s bioindustry enterprises is essential for sustainable development. Based on an analysis of primary and secondary data, we offer a preliminary overview of biodiversity-based biofactories, which transform raw materials derived from Amazonian biodiversity into industrialized products, in Brazilian Amazonia. Of the 187 biofactories we identified, most operate in the food sector (74%), followed by cosmetics (14%) and organic chemicals (9%). Records identified biofactories in 72 of the study area’s 559 municipalities. Fifty percent of biofactories are in the municipalities of Manaus, Belém, Castanhal, Santarém, Benevides, and Igarapé-Miri, which together hold 18% of the study area’s population. Conversely, none were identified in the consulted sources for 487 municipalities, comprising 62% of the study area’s population—about 14 million people. Statistical modeling among municipalities with identified units revealed a positive association between municipal gross domestic product and biofactory abundance. While some units may be undetected because they operate outside formal networks, the available records suggest that these businesses are geographically unevenly distributed and mostly of low technological intensity. Moreover, a significant portion of the population may lack direct access to local industrial infrastructure for processing biodiversity resources, highlighting potential territorial inequalities in regional processing capacity.