Mariano Cenamo, advocate for a sustainable Amazon bioeconomy, has died, aged 46
For people trying to protect the Amazon, one problem has persisted for decades. A hectare of intact forest stores carbon, regulates water, supports wildlife, and provides food and materials for the people who live there. Much of that value does not appear in an economic ledger. Cattle, timber, soy, and gold do. For a farmer, […]
Mariano Cenamo, a passionate advocate for a sustainable Amazon bioeconomy, has passed away at the age of 46. Cenamo dedicated most of his career to addressing the issue of aligning conservation efforts with the economic realities of local communities in the Amazon. Trained as a forestry engineer at the University of São Paulo, he initially moved to Manaus in 2003 for an internship and was drawn to the Amazon by Virgílio Viana, a former professor who later became the environment secretary for Amazonas state.
Cenamo recognized the disconnect between conservation work and the economic needs of people living in the forest. In 2004, he co-founded the Institute for the Conservation and Sustainable Development of the Amazon (Idesam), which started as a small initiative. Cenamo saw himself as a "non-individual" (ING) during his early efforts.
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