This paper presents the network architecture (Nelson, 2008) and institutional dynamics of a "biodiversity green incubator" for the Peruvian Amazonian and Andes mountains areas, the “PerúBioInnova.” It is a kind of livelihood initiative, business model and economic mechanism that facilitates the development of new forest ecosystem-based opportunities, in which a benefit-sharing model has been developed, as well as a format for a contract between companies and the communities. It assumes that this network – set by institutions such as global innovation agents, public agencies, national ministries and a sort of Amazonian and Andes Mountain Range producers associations of biobased products such as fruits, cocoa, wool and fish – is a very especial kind of network, having, itself, the role of "an institution," due to its nature and goals. Since networks’ actors are embedded in a national development policy context, three dimensions of institutional capabilities, that establish the environment of the actors’ relationships, are analyzed: a) knowledge resources – such as science and technology production in selected areas; b) intellectual property rights frameworks; c) policy dimensions for biodiversity and biotrade use. This seems to be a very unique institutional context, concerning the interdisciplinary demands of analysis involved in the economics, policy and commercial integrated approaches.

Keywords: biodiversity; Amazon rainforest; Peru; innovation