5 hours ago10 min read
Strengthening the Amazon Bioeconomy: Insights from nexBio Amazônia 2025
- Silvan Ziegler
- 5 hours ago
- 10 min read
By Silvan Ziegler, Sr. Head of Markets - Americas, KOLTIVA
Executive Summary
The Amazon faces a tipping point: losing 20–25% of its forest could trigger irreversible savannization (The Guardian, 2025).
A living bioeconomy offers a dual promise: conserving ecosystems while sustaining local livelihoods.
Traceability and biodiversity monitoring are essential for positioning Amazonian products as forest-positive in global markets.
Koltiva calls on cooperatives, companies, and investors to partner in building a measurable, inclusive, and verifiable Amazon bioeconomy.
Introduction – The Urgency of a Living Amazon Bioeconomy
The Amazon rainforest remains the world’s largest tropical forest, and one of its most fragile. Scientists warn that once 20–25% of its forest cover is lost, rainfall patterns may collapse, pushing vast areas into irreversible savannization (The Guardian, 2025).
This urgency forces us to move beyond seeing the Amazon only as a forest to be protected. To safeguard it, we must also sustain the millions of people who live within it. A living bioeconomy—one where biodiversity is sustainably managed and integrated into inclusive supply chains—offers this dual promise: conserving ecosystems while uplifting livelihoods and advancing social equity for local communities.
Indigenous and traditional knowledge play a vital role in shaping this vision. As highlighted during the “Voices of the Forest: Bridges to COP30” dialogue at nexBio Amazônia 2025, the wisdom of forest peoples, along with principles of equity and cultural identity, are central to building resilient and community-centred models. Scholars such as Professor Danilo Araújo Fernandes (NAEA/UFPA) highlight that the Amazonian bioeconomy must be understood through the lens of sociobiodiversity, a concept that integrates ecological, cultural, and social dimensions into a single framework.
Yet sociobiodiversity also presents an economic opportunity. Globally, demand is rising for sustainable commodities, nature-based solutions (NbS), and transparent supply chains that meet consumer expectations and regulatory requirements. This positions the Amazon not only as a natural treasure to protect but also as a source of scalable, climate-resilient solutions for global markets.
For Koltiva, participation in nexBio Amazônia 2025—organized by Swissnex in Brazil and the Leading House for the Latin American Region at the University of St. Gallen—was both an honour and a unique opportunity. Being selected as one of the promising Swiss startups to join this second edition of the program gave us the chance to engage directly with Brazilian innovators, cooperatives, and institutions, and to refine our strategy for the Amazon bioeconomy.
Why the Bioeconomy Matters for Forest Conservation
Defining the Bioeconomy in the Amazon Context
Globally, the term ‘bioeconomy’ is often defined in technical terms. The OECD frames it as the use of renewable biological resources to produce food, energy, materials, and services, while the EU emphasizes circularity, innovation, and low-carbon growth.
In the Amazon, however, the concept extends beyond these boundaries. Here, the bioeconomy draws on timber and non-timber forest products (NTFPs), agroforestry crops, and genetic resources—ranging from cocoa and açaí to Brazil nuts, cupuaçu, essential oils, and medicinal plants. What makes it distinct is the integration of sociobiodiversity: the recognition that ecological, cultural, and social dimensions are inseparable. This positions the Amazonian bioeconomy not only as a set of supply chains, but as a living system rooted in both science and traditional knowledge.
This multidimensional perspective lays the groundwork for understanding the bioeconomy’s market potential. By combining traditional knowledge and cultural heritage with growing global demand for biodiversity-based products, the Amazon can position its bioeconomy as both a conservation strategy and an engine of sustainable prosperity.
The Market Potential of Biodiversity Products
Global demand for biodiversity-based products is rising, driven by consumer interest in health, natural ingredients, and sustainable sourcing. In Brazil alone, the bioeconomy could reach US$284 billion annually by 2050 (Embrapa, 2024)
Recognizing this potential, the State of Pará has pioneered the State Bioeconomy Plan (PlanBio), led by the Secretariat for the Environment and Sustainability (SEMAS). Structured around research & innovation, cultural and genetic heritage, and sustainable supply chains, PlanBio provides a roadmap to scale forest-positive products such as açaí, cocoa, and Brazil nuts.
Our field visits illustrated how this potential is being put into practice. In Belém, the Science and Technology Park Guamá (PCT Guamá) and the Federal Rural University of Amazonia (UFRA) showcased applied innovations such as sustainable packaging from açaí waste, essential oils, and paper made from açaí residues. In Manaus, the National Institute of Amazonian Research (INPA) emphasized bridging science and ancestral knowledge, with dialogues on building fair, community-centred bioeconomic chains.
A further highlight was the masterclass by Prof. Ismael Nobre, co-founder of Amazônia 4.0, which proposes bringing Industry 4.0 technologies into forest communities through Amazon Creative Labs (ACLs). These mobile prototyping units co-create value-added products like cupuaçu and cocoa-based chocolates, oils, and açaí derivatives—blending innovation with cultural identity and empowering local entrepreneurs. Prof. Nobre’s vision underscores that technology and tradition can go hand in hand, positioning communities as key players in a global, forest-positive economy.
Together, PlanBio, applied research hubs, and visionary initiatives like Amazônia 4.0 show how Pará and Amazonas are building the foundations of a research-to-market pipeline that aligns policy, science, and community knowledge.
Risks of Business-as-Usual and the Tipping Point Challenge
Despite its promise, the Amazon bioeconomy faces risks if reduced to rhetoric or branding. Deforestation, illegal mining, and monoculture expansion continue to erode both the forest and its market potential. Without credible verification and inclusive business models, the bioeconomy could fail to deliver on its transformative vision.
At nexBio Amazônia 2025, this risk was contrasted with opportunities for entrepreneurial innovation. Raphael Medeiros, Director of the Amazon Centre for Entrepreneurship, shared insights into a new wave of sustainable businesses emerging across the region—ventures that blend traditional knowledge with market-driven solutions in food, cosmetics, forest-based fibers, and ecotourism. These initiatives demonstrate that when entrepreneurs are empowered with traceability tools, financing, and supportive policy environments, the bioeconomy can move from concept to reality.
The challenge ahead is to ensure that these models scale inclusively, respecting sociobiodiversity while meeting global standards for transparency and sustainability. Only then can the Amazon avoid the tipping point and become a true showcase of a living bioeconomy.
The Role of Traceability in Scaling the Bioeconomy
Why Traceability Unlocks Market Access and Enhances Transparency
For global commodities like cocoa, coffee, and natural rubber, traceability has become a regulatory requirement under the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). But for the majority of Amazon bioeconomy products—açaí, cupuaçu, camu camu, buriti, Brazil nuts, oils, and medicinal plants — EUDR does not yet apply.
Nonetheless, buyers and consumers increasingly demand guarantees and credible assurances that sourcing these products does not contribute to deforestation. In fact, these supply chains have the potential to go one step further: they can be designed as forest-positive supply chains, where trade actively supports forest conservation and reforestation.
In this context, traceability plays a dual role:
Credibility and trust – providing verifiable data that products are sourced legally, ethically, and without deforestation.
Value creation – differentiating Amazonian products as drivers of conservation and regeneration, not just as “deforestation-free.”
This need was echoed strongly during the nexBio Amazônia program. At pitch sessions in Manaus—including the Brazilian Bioeconomy Center (CBA), FPF Tech, and Impact Hub—stakeholders consistently highlighted traceability as a missing link to connect sustainable products with premium markets. Whether in food, cosmetics, or bio-inputs, local entrepreneurs and cooperatives expressed the challenge of demonstrating compliance and sustainability to international buyers.
These exchanges confirmed that traceability is not just a regulatory requirement—it is a market enabler. By equipping producers and SMEs with tools to validate origin, legality, and biodiversity impacts, platforms like KoltiTrace can help Amazonian products access global supply chains and secure recognition as truly forest-positive.
Beyond Deforestation: Biodiversity Monitoring for the Bioeconomy
Lessons from Koltiva’s Bioeconomy Projects in Colombia and Peru
Through the Frutos del Bosque project (UK PACT) in the Colombian Amazon, Koltiva is embedding biodiversity indicators—such as species presence and habitat integrity—into traceability systems for NTFPs like açaí, cupuaçu, camu camu, and corozo. This creates the foundation for biodiversity credits and other incentive mechanisms, positioning supply chains as truly forest-positive rather than merely deforestation-free.
The need for such approaches was also underlined during the nexBio Amazônia program. At the Impact Hub Manaus, thematic group sessions on regenerative supply chains, indigenous data, and conservation emphasized the lack of tools to measure biodiversity impacts at the producer and community level. Local entrepreneurs and researchers repeatedly pointed to this gap as a barrier to credibility in global markets.
The Bioeconomy Amazon Summit (BAS) reinforced this message from an investor perspective: for the Amazon bioeconomy to attract capital at scale, it must demonstrate not only that production avoids deforestation but also that it actively regenerates ecosystems and strengthens biodiversity.
Beyond Colombia, Koltiva has also applied its traceability expertise to other origins. In Peru, KoltiTrace supports the Geographical Indication (GI) system of Café Villa Rica, ensuring authenticity and protecting producers from imitation, while strengthening access to differentiated markets. We also piloted buriti (aguaje) traceability in the Peruvian Amazon, gaining valuable experience in working with local bioeconomy supply chains. These initiatives show how digital systems can link biodiversity, culture, and territory, reinforcing both market access and conservation outcomes.
Together, these insights confirm that biodiversity monitoring and origin-linked traceability are no longer optional. They are strategic necessities for positioning Amazonian products in the next generation of sustainable markets.
Embedding Biodiversity into ESG Metrics
Embedding biodiversity into ESG frameworks is rapidly becoming a business imperative. The Global Biodiversity Framework (Target 15) and the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) expect companies to disclose not only climate risks but also their biodiversity dependencies and impacts.
This trend was echoed during the nexBio Amazônia program. At events such as the Bioeconomy Innovation Boost at Nilton Lins University and the Impact Hub sessions, corporate representatives and researchers alike raised the question of how to move from isolated biodiversity studies to standardized metrics that can be integrated into ESG dashboards and investor reports. Without such tools, many companies sourcing from the Amazon struggle to credibly demonstrate their nature-positive contributions.
For Koltiva, this is both a challenge and an opportunity. By embedding biodiversity indicators into digital traceability platforms, we can help companies measure, report, and reward biodiversity-positive practices—and give Amazonian producers a place in emerging incentive mechanisms, from biodiversity credits to blended finance schemes.
This shift—from “avoiding harm” to actively regenerating ecosystems—is essential if the Amazon bioeconomy is to gain recognition as a leader in the global transition to sustainability.
nexBio Amazônia Program – Koltiva’s Journey
Key Learnings and Connections
The program reaffirmed a central truth: technology alone is not enough—local partnerships and networks of trust are essential.
In Manaus, at the CBA and FPF Tech, mentorship and pitching sessions validated the strong demand for traceability and biodiversity monitoring, while also highlighting the need for capacity building alongside digital solutions.
At Nilton Lins University and the Impact Hub, cross-sector dialogues with institutions such as EMBRAPA, FAPEAM, and FIOCRUZ revealed opportunities in circular agriculture, regenerative supply chains, and conservation data—topics directly relevant to Koltiva’s mission.
Participation in the Bioeconomy Amazon Summit (BAS) and the final pitch competition further positioned Koltiva in the broader ecosystem, allowing us to connect with local entrepreneurs, refine our business model, and build visibility ahead of COP-30 in Belém.
Finally, informal exchanges—from INPA’s “knowledge and solutions” dialogues to conversations shared over Amazonian foods like cupuaçu, guaraná, and stingless bee honey—reinforced that a credible bioeconomy is built as much on relationships as on technology.
Taken together, these experiences underlined a crucial lesson: A living Amazon bioeconomy requires offline-first, human-centered solutions combined with strong local partnerships and networks of trust.
Conclusion – Building a Credible Bioeconomy for the Amazon
For Koltiva, nexBio Amazônia 2025-curated by Swissnex in Brazil and the University of St. Gallen's Leading House-was not just an exchange program, but a catalyst.
It showed us that the Amazon bioeconomy must be:
Measurable - with traceability and monitoring.
Recognized - through GIs and certification schemes.
Inclusive - empowering cooperatives, women, and youth.
Forest-positive - embedding biodiversity into supply chains.
Koltiva's commitment is to turn these insights into practice by building partnerships, launching pilots, and scaling digital tools that give Amazonian communities a place in global, deforestation-free markets. With local representation in Belém and plans for a subsidiary in Manaus, we are ready to co-design solutions that make the Amazon bioeconomy measurable, verifiable, and inclusive.
Call to Action – Partnering for a Living Amazon Bioeconomy
Strengthening the Amazon bioeconomy requires collective efforst. Koltiva is eager to collaborate with:
Cooperatives and MSMEs interested in co-designing pilots that strengthen their data, markets, and sustainability performance.
Buyers and companies sourcing from the Amazon to collaborate in building traceable, biodiversity-positive supply chains rooted in trust and transparency.
Investors and donors exploring blended finance mechanisms that scale producer inclusion and forest-positive innovations.
Together, we can make the Amazon bioeconomy measurable, verifiable, and inclusive—a model that sustains both forests and the communities who depend on them.
Ready to collaborate in strengthening the Amazon bioeconomy? Let’s connect and design solutions together.
Acknowledgements
We extend our gratitude to Swissnex in Brazil, the Leading House for the Latin American Region at the University of St. Gallen, and CONFAP for their leadership in organizing nexBio Amazônia 2025 and for selecting Koltiva as one of the promising Swiss startups to participate in this transformative program.
Swissnex is the Swiss global network connecting the dots in education, research, and innovation. Its mission is tosupport the outreach and active engagement of its partners in the international exchange of knowledge, ideas, and talent. Swissnex thereby contribute to strengthening Switzerland’s profile as a world leading innovation hotspot.
The Institute of Management in Latin America is an affiliated institute of the University of St Gallen (HSG) based in São Paulo, Brazil, and has served as a bridge between Switzerland and Latin America since 2011 and promotes academic partnerships, research collaborations and cultural exchange.
This year, nexBio is part of the Road to Belém, a Swiss initiative that brings together the Swiss network in Brazil, including the Embassy, Consulates, Swissnex, Swiss Business Hub and other partners, to strengthen Switzerland–Brazil cooperation in the lead-up to COP30. The program promotes joint action in areas like bioeconomy, climate resilience, sustainable infrastructure, and science–society dialogue, highlighting Swiss contributions to global sustainability efforts.
Author: Silvan Ziegler, Sr. Head of Market America, Koltiva
Editor: Gusi Ayu Putri Chandrika Sari, a sustainability-focused communications professional with 8+ years of experience in crafting compelling content.
Silvan Ziegler serves as Head of Markets Americas at Koltiva, leading teams across Latin America to advance traceable, inclusive, and climate-positive supply chains. With more than 15 years of experience in sustainable agriculture and international development, he specializes in cocoa and coffee supply chains, regenerative practices, and carbon mitigation strategies. His work is guided by Market Systems Development, ensuring solutions scale inclusively while generating long-term impact for producers and ecosystems. Prior to Koltiva, Silvan was a Project Manager and Senior Business Development Advisor at Swisscontact, where he implemented sustainability programs, fostered multi-stakeholder partnerships, and strengthened rural economies. He holds dual Master’s degrees from the Graduate Institute of Geneva and Complutense University of Madrid.
Resources:
Embrapa. (2023, January 24). Bioeconomy in Brazil can generate US$ 284 billion in revenue per annum. Embrapa. https://www.embrapa.br/en/busca-de-noticias/-/noticia/77870291/bioeconomy-in-brazil-can-generate-us-284-billion-in-revenue-per-annum
Watts, J. (2024, February 14). Amazon rainforest could reach 'tipping point' by 2050, scientists warn. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/feb/14/amazon-rainforest-could-reach-tipping-point-by-2050-scientists-warn
