Giovanna Barreto

Concerned citizen, Connector, Student

I’m a professional from Manaus, in the Brazilian Amazon, working with bioeconomy and sustainable development. My work is focused on supporting initiatives that connect economic opportunities with environmental conservation, local knowledge and positive social impact. Coming from a background in tourism and community development, I’m especially interested in how different sectors can work together to create more inclusive and sustainable economies in the Amazon. I’m curious about people, territories, culture and the ways we can turn local potential into meaningful opportunities.

I’m passionate about the Amazon, biodiversity, people and the possibilities that emerge when these things come together. I’m fascinated by bioeconomy, sustainable development, innovation and the different ways communities can create their own solutions. I’m also endlessly curious about people and the world around me — from psychology and human behavior to culture, music, fashion and the stories behind the places we live in. I love learning across different fields and finding connections between ideas that, at first, seem completely unrelated.

The Amazon doesn’t need to choose between protecting its natural resources and creating economic opportunities. We need to rethink what development looks like. A strong bioeconomy should not be based only on extracting resources from the forest, but on creating value from biodiversity while keeping benefits within local territories and communities. This means valuing traditional knowledge, strengthening local businesses, supporting innovation and creating opportunities that make conservation economically viable. For me, the future of the Amazon is not about developing despite the forest, but developing with it.

Tourism and Bioeconomy

I joined TED as part of the Communications team, and I’m excited to be part of a community built around curiosity, ideas and meaningful conversations. My professional journey has taken me through tourism, community development and, more recently, bioeconomy, always with a strong interest in people, culture and sustainable development. I see TED as a space to learn, exchange perspectives and help ideas reach people in ways that can inspire action. As someone from the Amazon, I’m also excited about the opportunity to contribute a perspective shaped by my region and its many stories, challenges and possibilities.

researching things I became randomly curious about at 2 a.m. I can go from “I wonder why this happens” to knowing way more than I ever needed to know about the subject. My curiosity has absolutely no boundaries.