Biodiversity and Bioeconomy: Status Quo, Challenges, and Opportuniti es comprehensively delivers the latest developments in theories of biodiversity and ecosystem functi oning and their major implicati ons for biodiversity conservati on through diversifying agriculture, forestry, and biomass producti on systems and linking these developments with sustainability of bioeconomy. This book provides basic understanding of biodiversity and bioeconomy, diff erent views of their interrelati onship, and their links with sustainable development goals. It also examines the research and practi ce of biodiversity and ecosystem functi oning in agriculture, forestry, and biomass producti on systems to achieve sustainable bioeconomy. Finally, this book examines status, challenges, and opportuniti es for biodiversity-centered bioeconomy providing a way forward. - Examines the status of scienti fi c understanding of biodiversity and bioeconomy and interrelatedness - Describes challenges and opportuniti es for socioeconomic and ecologically sustainable development of bioeconomy - Covers agriculture, forestry, and aquati c ecosystems and explores their biodiversity and bioeconomy potentials

Bioeconomy is an essential natural capital for life, citizen well-being, and societal prosperity. After decades of intense damaging use, pollution, and hydrological stress, Europe's ecosystems are acutely threatened with serious degradation. This situation not only means acute economic loss, but also entails catastrophic ecological, social, and cultural damage. Handbook of Research on Bioeconomy and Economic Ecosystems is a critical resource that explores the conservation of ecosystems and their biodiversity and discusses potential new challenges in terms of the economic, social, and environmental path for Europe and other regions of the world. Featuring research on topics such as bioeconomy, circular economy, and economic and social analysis, this book is ideally designed for city authorities, experts, officers, business representatives, economists, politicians, academicians, and researchers.

In this edited volume, scientists from different disciplines discuss modern biotechnological processes and a knowledge-based bioeconomy. The authors base their arguments on ecological, economic, legal, social and ethical aspects. Moreover, they explore the opportunities, risks, and challenges of bioeconomic concepts and biotechnologies in many subject areas. The chapters consider land use, nature and environment, nutrition, technology and governance, energy, economy, law and regulation, as well as ethics. A special focus should be on new technologies and how they can be used, without compromising the ambitious goal of creating a more sustainable, but also fair world. To do justice to this broad array of topics, the editors frame all topics in overarching introductions and close the volume with final conclusions. Thereby this volume offers data and critical thoughts for any member of a Bioeconomy – be it from academia, the industry or public regulation.

This book is at the cutting edge of the ongoing research in bioeconomy and encompasses both technological and economic strategies to master the transformation towards a knowledge- and bio-based production system. The volume combines different international perspectives with approaches of the various fields of research. Bioeconomy is one of the future concepts of an economy which, while based on renewable biological resources, also predicts economic growth. Starting from a growth-economic as well as knowledge- and innovation-economic perspective the contributions give an overview of different existing patterns and cases and describe the basic prerequisites for the bioeconomy transformation. Therewith, the volume is a resource for experts and newcomers in the field of bioeconomy giving insight into the life cycle of bio-based products, detailing the latest advancements and how to turn them into economic growth.

This book is open access under a CC BY 4.0 license. This book defines the new field of "Bioeconomy" as the sustainable and innovative use of biomass and biological knowledge to provide food, feed, industrial products, bioenergy and ecological services. The chapters highlight the importance of bioeconomy-related concepts in public, scientific, and political discourse. Using an interdisciplinary approach, the authors outline the dimensions of the bioeconomy as a means of achieving sustainability. The authors are ideally situated to elaborate on the diverse aspects of the bioeconomy. They have acquired in-depth experience of interdisciplinary research through the university’s focus on “Bioeconomy”, its contribution to the Bioeconomy Research Program of the federal state of Baden-Württemberg, and its participation in the German Bioeconomy Council. With the number of bioeconomy-related projects at European universities rising, this book will provide graduate students and researchers with background information on the bioeconomy. It will familiarize scientific readers with bioeconomy-related terms and give scientific background for economists, agronomists and natural scientists alike.

This book is a concise overall view of the status quo of the bioeconomy and its future developments - in Germany and beyond. Numerous practitioners from business, science, civil society and politics show how the bioeconomy is addressing the global problems of the future. Based on renewable raw materials and energies, the bioeconomy is developing new products and processes with the aim of shaping a more ecologically and economically sustainable future. But can it succeed? What are its opportunities and limitations? Which framework conditions influence it? The book answers these questions with a systemic view of the bioeconomy and thus enables a quick orientation in this topic. This is additionally supported by numerous graphics. The book thus invites readers to help shape the future of the bioeconomy.

This book examines the bioeconomy concept, analysing the opportunities it can generate, the constraints and the potential benefits for society. The main objective of bioeconomy is to promote economic development, by creating jobs and enhancing the sustainable utilization of bio-resources. A primary driver of bioeconomy strategy, therefore, is the need to respond to the growing population's food and economic requirements. While today research and literature related to bioeconomy are limited, this book presents a unique collection of perspectives on the complex dimensions of the bioeconomy debate. Drawing on the experiences from Europe, Asia and Africa, it presents an international overview. The chapters address a wide range of issues, including coastal-land interactions, ecosystem services, food production, rural development, agriculture, forest management and bioenergy. As a whole, the volume outlines what role bioeconomy can play in contributing to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) without compromising on the ecological sustainability and equitable distribution of benefits. The book concludes by providing recommendations for developing bioeconomy in respective sectors (agriculture, forestry, fisheries, renewable energy) and directions for planning future bioeconomy programmes and strategies. The Bioeconomy Approach will be of great interest to students and scholars of ecological economics, development economics and environmental economics, as well as policy-makers and practitioners involved in sustainable development.

Bioeconomy is credited as being one of the key pillars for the FAO Strategic Framework 2022–2031 to support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. [Author] More than 60 countries and regions have a dedicated bioeconomy or bioscience strategy today, and many more are already implementing the bioeconomy with plans and programmes, often also attempting to monitor and evaluate the progress towards the transition. [Author] Moreover, where trade-offs exist between different sustainability objectives, the bioeconomy offers an opportunity to realign the economy with the biosphere and account for the trade-offs in a holistic way. [Author] This toolbox provides a methodology to guide the development of bioeconomy strategies, and other elements to support its deployment, from dedicated governance systems, to monitoring frameworks to action on the ground. [Author] Many of the examples in this toolbox refer to knowledge gained through FAO experience, while being forward-looking and designed to help more countries and regions embark on or continue their journey towards building a sustainable bioeconomy. [Author] This aligns with FAO’s strategic mission over the next decade; FAO is the first United Nations entity to elevate bioeconomy to a corporate priority, including it as one of 20 programme priority areas under its Strategic Framework 2022–2031. [Author] This reflects the growing role that FAO sees for bioeconomy as a driver of sustainable agrifood systems transformation over the next decade. [Author]

In the past decade, the growing realization that biodiversity and human wellbeing are inextricably linked has led to the adoption of numerous environmental policies. The concept of the Green Economy has gained particular attention as an economic system where growth is possible within environmental limits. The preservation of ecosystem services and the halt of biodiversity loss are identified as key pillars of the Green Economy. Despite the concept’s momentum there is still no clear understanding of how biodiversity fits within a Green Economy. In the current debate, biodiversity is rarely acknowledged in economic sectors other than agriculture, forestry, fisheries and tourism, and when it is acknowledged biodiversity and its conservation feature more as buzzwords than as concrete and tangible components of the Green Economy. This book aims to identify, understand and offer pragmatic recommendations of how biodiversity conservation can become an agent of green economic development. This book establishes ways to assess biodiversity’s contributions to the economy and to meaningfully integrate biodiversity concerns in green-economy policies.

This book gathers contributions from scientists and industry representatives on achieving a sustainable bioeconomy. It also covers the social sciences, economics, business, education and the environmental sciences. There is an urgent need to optimise and maximise the use of biological resources, so that primary production and processing systems can generate more food, fibre and other bio-based products with less environmental impacts and lower greenhouse gas emissions. In other words, we need a “sustainable bioeconomy” – a term that encompasses the sustainable production of renewable resources from land, fisheries and aquaculture environments and their conversion into food, feed, fibre bio-based products and bio-energy, as well as related public goods. Despite the relevance of achieving a sustainable bioeconomy, there are very few publications in this field. Addressing that gap, this book illustrates how biological resources and ecosystems could be used in a more sustainable, efficient and integrated manner – in other words, how the principles of sustainable bioeconomy can be implemented in practice. Given its interdisciplinary nature, the field of sustainable bioeconomy offers a unique opportunity to address complex and interconnected challenges, while also promoting economic growth. It helps countries and societies to make a transition and to use resources more efficiently, and shows how to rely less on biological resources to satisfy industry demands and consumer needs. The papers are innovative, cross-cutting and include many practice-based lessons learned, some of which are reproducible elsewhere. In closing, the book, prepared by the Inter-University Sustainable Development Research Programme (IUSDRP) and the World Sustainable Development Research and Transfer Centre (WSD-RTC), reiterates the need to promote a sustainable bioeconomy today.