The Amazon as a Bioeconomy Superpower: Investing in Innovation and Technology for Sustainable Development

The aim of this session is to create awareness of the potential for a bioeconomy of standing forests and flowing rivers in the Amazon, leveraged by investments in science, technology, and innovation as called for in SDG 9.

The Amazon Basin is one of the world’s most biologically diverse areas, home to >10% of the world’s described species. Yet, the region is under threat; approximately 17% of the basin has been deforested, and an additional 17% of the biome has been degraded. Deforestation contributes to climate change and places the region in danger of crossing a tipping point beyond which today’s forests can no longer exist.