Managing circular ecosystems in imperfect contexts – the case of extractive fishing in the Brazilian Amazon region
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1108/RAUSP-09-2023-0187Keywords:
Amazon, Bioeconomy, Circular economyAbstract
PurposeThis study aims to answer the question of how to structure a circular ecosystem for extractive fishing in the Amazon region. It explores possibilities for implementing a circular ecosystem management model in an imperfect market with low technological availability, high informality and limited public assistance.
Design/methodology/approachQualitative approach was adopted for this paper, with a case study on extractive fishing in the state of Amazonas. Data was collected through 35 interviews and direct observation of the processes of collecting, storing and transporting fish on two routes: Tapauá-Manaus and Manacapuru-Manaus.
FindingsThrough the data collected, it was possible to observe the importance of an orchestrating agent – such as an association or even a public authority – for the establishment and development of a circular ecosystem for extractive fishing in the region.
Research limitations/implicationsThe paper makes theoretical contributions by presenting how a circular ecosystem management model could be implemented for an imperfect market in the Global South, as well as contributing to the literature on how the circular economy contributes to mitigate the threat to biodiversity posed by the linear economy.
Practical implicationsIt contributes to the management practice of structuring circular ecosystems.
Social implicationsThe role of public authorities and the collective organization of fishermen as orchestrators connecting the network of actors that develop the extractive fishing ecosystem is fundamental, guaranteeing effective social participation in solving local problems.
Originality/valueThe idea of circular ecosystems was applied to imperfect contexts, with high informality, weak institutions and bioeconomy, topics still little explored in the literature.
Downloads
References
Abramovay, R., Ferreira, J., Costa, F. D. A., Ehrlich, M., Euler, A. M. C., Young, C. E. F., … Villanova, L. (2021). The new bioeconomy in the Amazon: opportunities and challenges for a healthy standing forest and flowing rivers. Amazon Assessment Report 2021.
Abramovay, R., Massunari, L., Uemura, D., & Matsumoto, D. (2022). Infraestrutura Para o desenvolvimento sustentável da Amazônia, Brasil: Editora Elefante.
Adner, R. (2017). Ecosystem as structure: an actionable construct for strategy. Journal of Management, 43(1), 39–58, doi: 10.1177/0149206316678451.
Bastos Lima, M. G., & Palme, U. (2022). The bioeconomy – biodiversity nexus: enhancing or undermining nature’s contributions to people?. Conservation, 2(1), 7–25, doi: 10.3390/conservation2010002.
Buchmann-Duck, J., & Beazley, K. F. (2020). An urgent call for circular economy advocates to acknowledge its limitations in conserving biodiversity. Science of the Total Environment, 727, doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.138602.
Bugge, M. M., Hansen, T., & Klitkou, A. (2016). What is the bioeconomy? A review of the literature. Sustainability, 8(7), 691, doi: 10.3390/su8070691.
Conexsus. (2020). Negócios pela terra. Inteligência de mercado Para empreendimentos comunitários.
Costa, F. A., Nobre, C., Genin, C., Frasson, C., Fernandes, D. A., Silva, H., … Folhes, R. (2022). Bioeconomy for the Amazon: Concepts, limits, and trends for a proper definition of the tropical Forest biome, WRI Brasi.
Costa, F. A., Schmink, M., Hecht, S., Assadd, E., Bebbingtone, D. H., Brondiziof, E. S., … Pereira, H. S. (2021). Complex, diverse and changing agribusiness and livelihood systems in the Amazon. Disponível em: retrieved from www.theamazonwewant.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Chapter-15-Bound-May-11.pdf
Desing, H., Brunner, D., Takacs, F., Nahrath, S., Frankenberger, K., & Hischier, R. (2020). A circular economy within the planetary boundaries: towards a resource-based, systemic approach. Resources, Conservation & Recycling, 155, 104673, doi: 10.1016/ j.resconrec.2019.104673.
Ellen MacArthur Foundation. (2015). Delivering the circular economy: a toolkit for policymakers, Ellen MacArthur Foundation. Isle of Wight.
Eloy, L., & Lasmar, C. (2012). Urbanisation and transformation of indigenous resource management: the case of upper Rio Negro (Brazil). International Journal Sustainable Society, 4(4), 273–388.
Freitas, N. D., & Schor, T. (2020). Bioeconomia e a bolsa de mercadorias da amazônia. Interesse Nacional. Ano, 13, 20–25.
Geissdoerfer, M., Savaget, P., Bocken, N. M., & Hultink, E. J. (2017). The circular economy e a new sustainability paradigm? Journal of Cleaner Production, 143(2017), 757–768, doi: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.12.048.
Gomes, L. A. V., de Faria, A. M., Braz, A. C., de Mello, A. M., Borini, F. M., & Ometto, A. R. (2023). Circular ecosystem management: orchestrating ecosystem value proposition and configuration. International Journal of Production Economics, 256, 108725. doi: 10.1016/j.ijpe.2022.108725.
Granstrand, O., & Holgersson, M. (2020). Innovation ecosystems: A conceptual review and a new definition. Technovation, 102098, doi: 10.1016/j.technovation.2019.102098.90.
Hobson, K., & Lynch, N. (2016). Diversifying and de-growing the circular economy: radical social transformation in a resource-scarce world. Futures, 82, 15–25, doi: 10.1016/j.futures.2016.05.012.
Hou, H., & Shi, Y. (2021). Ecosystem-AS-structure and ecosystem-AS-coevolution: A constructive examination. Technovation, 100, 102193, doi: 10.1016/j.technovation.2020.102193.
Jacobides, M. G., Cennamo, C., & Gawer, A. (2018). Towards a theory of ecosystems. Strategic Management Journal, 39(8), 2255–2276, doi: 10.1002/smj.2904.
Jimenez, E. A., Amaral, M. T., de Souza, P. L., Costa, M. D. N. F., Lira, A. S., & Fredou, F. L. (2020). Value chain dynamics and the socioeconomic drivers of small-scale fisheries on the Amazon Coast: a case study in the state of Amapá, Brazil. Marine Policy, 115, 103856. doi: 10.1016/j.marpol.2020.103856.
Kanda, W., Geissdoerfer, M., & Hjelm, O. (2021). From circular business models to circular business ecosystems. Business Strategy and the Environment, 30(6), 2814–2829. doi: 10.1002/bse.2895.
Ketokivi, M., & Choi, T. (2014). Renaissance of case research as a scientific method. Journal of Operations Management, 32(5), 232–240, doi: 10.1016/j.jom.2014.03.004.
Kirchherr, J., Reike, D., & Hekkert, M. (2017). Conceptualizing the circular economy: An analysis of 114 definitions. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 127, 221–232, doi: 10.1016/j.resconrec.2017.09.005.
Langley, A. (1999). Strategies for theorizing from process data. The Academy of Management Review, 24(4), 691–710, doi: 10.2307/259349.
Micheli, P., & Muctor, G. (2021). The roles of performance measurement and management in the development and implementation of business ecosystem strategies. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 41(11), 1761–1784, doi: 10.1108/IJOPM-05-2021-0317/FULL/PDF.
O’Gorman, M. (2016). Taking nature out of the corner and into the spotlight: biodiversity and the circular economy. Wildlife Habitat Council. Retrieved from www.wildlifehc.org/taking-nature-out-of-the-corner-and-into-the-spotlight-biodiversityand-the-circular-economy/
Sauvé, S., Bernard, S., & Sloan, P. (2016). Environmental sciences, sustainable development, and circular economy: alternative concepts for trans-disciplinary research. Environmental Development, 17, 48–56, doi: 10.1016/j.env.dev.2015.09.002.
Shipilov, A., & Gawer, A. (2020). Integrating research on interorganizational networks and ecosystems. Academy of Management Annals, 14(1), 92–121, doi: 10.5465/annals.2018.0121.
Teece, D. J. (2018). Profiting from innovation in the digital economy: Enabling technologies, standards, and licensing models in the wireless world. Res. Pol, 47(8), 1367–1387, doi: 10.1016/j.respol.2017.01.015.
Thomas, L. D. W., & Autio, E. (2020). Innovation ecosystems in management: an organizing typology. Oxford research encyclopedia of business and management, Oxford University Press, doi: 10.1093/acrefore/9780190224851.013.203.
Tregidgo, D., Barlow, J., Pompeu, P. S., & Parry, L. (2020). Tough fishing and severe seasonal food insecurity in Amazonian flooded forests. People and Nature, 2(2), 468–482. doi: 10.1002/pan3.10086.
Trevisan, A. H., Castro, C. G., Gomes, L. A. V., & Mascarenhas, J. (2022). Unlocking the circular ecosystem concept: evolution, current research, and future directions. Sustainable Production and Consumption, 29, 286–298, doi: 10.1016/J.SPC.2021.10.020.
Valli, M., Russo, H. M., & Bolzani, V. S. (2018). The potential contribution of the natural products from Brazilian biodiversity to bioeconomy. Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências, 90(1 suppl 1), 763–778. doi: 10.1590/0001-3765201820170653.
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Neuzaí Marreiros Barbosa, Adriana Marotti De Mello, Pedro Ibrahim Hellmeister, Antonio Carlos Braz
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Management Department of the School of Economics, Management and Accounting of the University of São Paulo.
The publication of article segments is allowed, subject to prior authorization and source identification.
Copyright is regulated under Licença Creative Commons Attribution
