Amazonia: A Puzzle Between Development and Sustainability?

IF 0.8 Q3 POLITICAL SCIENCE

Latin American Policy Pub Date : 2025-10-26 DOI:10.1111/lamp.70030

Roberto Duran-Fernandez, Taciana de Carvalho Coutinho

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Abstract

Amazonia is one of the most ecological and culturally significant regions on the planet, yet it continues to experience deep social and economic marginalization. This article examines the paradox of a territory rich in biodiversity and environmental assets that struggles to convert this wealth into sustainable development and human well-being. Drawing on original fieldwork conducted in the Brazil–Peru–Colombia tri-border region, and combining insight from historical, economic, and institutional analysis, the article explores the forces shaping Amazonia's development trajectory. It assesses critically the emergence of the bioeconomy as an alternative to extractive growth models, highlighting both its transformative potential and its inherent contradictions, particularly regarding the commodification of ecosystem services and weak institutional capacity. Through 4 original community-based case studies, the article demonstrates how local initiatives led by indigenous and traditional actors are reconciling biodiversity conservation with inclusive economic strategies. The study's key finding is that sustainable development in Amazonia is not only technically feasible but already underway in many grassroots initiatives, though scaling these efforts requires institutional transformation grounded in territorial governance, intercultural dialog, and historical awareness. The article argues that Amazonia's future hinges not just on innovation but on rethinking development itself.

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亚马逊：发展与可持续性之间的难题？

亚马逊是地球上最具生态和文化意义的地区之一，但它继续经历着深刻的社会和经济边缘化。本文探讨了一个拥有丰富生物多样性和环境资产的领土在努力将这些财富转化为可持续发展和人类福祉的悖论。根据在巴西-秘鲁-哥伦比亚三国边境地区进行的原始田野调查，结合历史、经济和制度分析的见解，本文探讨了塑造亚马逊发展轨迹的力量。它批判性地评估了生物经济作为采掘增长模式的替代方案的出现，强调了其变革潜力和内在矛盾，特别是在生态系统服务商品化和体制能力薄弱方面。通过4个基于社区的原始案例研究，本文展示了由土著和传统行动者领导的地方倡议如何协调生物多样性保护与包容性经济战略。该研究的主要发现是，亚马逊地区的可持续发展不仅在技术上是可行的，而且在许多基层倡议中已经开始实施，尽管扩大这些努力需要基于领土治理、跨文化对话和历史意识的制度转型。文章认为，亚马逊的未来不仅取决于创新，还取决于对发展本身的反思。

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来源期刊

Latin American Policy POLITICAL SCIENCE-

CiteScore

1.10

自引率

20.00%

发文量

期刊介绍： Latin American Policy (LAP): A Journal of Politics and Governance in a Changing Region, a collaboration of the Policy Studies Organization and the Escuela de Gobierno y Transformación Pública, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Santa Fe Campus, published its first issue in mid-2010. LAP’s primary focus is intended to be in the policy arena, and will focus on any issue or field involving authority and polities (although not necessarily clustered on governments), agency (either governmental or from the civil society, or both), and the pursuit/achievement of specific (or anticipated) outcomes. We invite authors to focus on any crosscutting issue situated in the interface between the policy and political domain concerning or affecting any Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) country or group of countries. This journal will remain open to multidisciplinary approaches dealing with policy issues and the political contexts in which they take place.