The 3 Million Hidden in 3% of the Amazon: A LiDAR Revelation

LiDAR analysis across Brazil, Bolivia, and Ecuador suggests pre-Columbian Amazonia supported far larger and denser populations than once believed.

Researchers say settlements, roads, terraces, and other earthworks occupied only a small share of the region, around 3% of the forest.

The wider Amazon was actively managed rather than untouched wilderness, reshaping views of its past human landscape.

The findings highlight the power of remote sensing to uncover hidden archaeology and inform indigenous history and conservation.