BIOENERGY AND BIOMASS IN THE GLOBAL ENERGY TRANSITION: IMPACTS OF PLANT RESOURCE EXPLOITATION ON BIOME INTEGRITY, FLORA AND FAUNA CONSERVATION, ECOSYSTEM SERVICES, AND THE LIMITS OF ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY IN THE FACE OF CLIMATE CHANGE

Resumen

The growing demand for renewable energy sources has increased interest in the use of plant biomass as an alternative to fossil fuels, particularly given the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and address climate change. However, the expansion of bioenergy entails environmental contradictions associated with intensified land use, the conversion of natural ecosystems, and increasing pressure on biodiversity. This study aims to analyze the impacts of exploiting plant resources for bioenergy production on biome integrity, flora and fauna conservation, and the maintenance of ecosystem services, considering the limits of environmental sustainability in the context of the global energy transition. This is a bibliographic and documentary study adopting a qualitative, descriptive, and exploratory approach, based on scientific publications and institutional reports addressing bioenergy, climate change, biodiversity, and natural resource management. The literature indicates that biomass can contribute to diversifying the energy mix and reducing certain emissions, particularly when derived from organic residues and appropriately managed production systems. Nevertheless, its large-scale exploitation may contribute to deforestation, habitat fragmentation, landscape simplification, soil degradation, and competition for water and land use. These processes undermine species conservation and may affect essential ecosystem services, including climate regulation, nutrient cycling, water resource protection, and the maintenance of soil fertility. The renewable nature of biomass does not, in itself, ensure its sustainability; life-cycle emissions, feedstock origin, and the territorial effects of production must also be considered. The study concludes that bioenergy’s contribution to the energy transition depends on the adoption of stringent environmental criteria, territorial planning, the protection of natural ecosystems, and the prioritization of production models that reconcile emissions reduction with biodiversity conservation and socio-environmental justice.