Amazon's Abundance Of Trees Is Due To Cultivation; Forest Not Untouched As It May seem?

Researchers currently reported that the Amazon has been shaped by ancient people. These trees in the Amazon are still abundant because of the cultivation from previous settlers.

According to a report, researchers indicated that the trees populating the Amazon are still abundant. These trees have been cultivated by the people that settled in the area long ago. These tree species include the Brazil nut, cacao and acai palm. It also includes the rubber caimito, cashew and tucuma palm.

In fact, Hans ter Steege, a forest community ecologist at the Naturalis Biodiversity Center in the Netherlands and Free University of Amsterdam shared that the forest has not been untouched as it may seem.

The data for the research included 1,770 sites all over the Amazon using different types of tree composition. This has been compared to 3,000 known sites that represent human settlement. It has been found that 85 of the tree species that had been cultivated by the people on the Amazon for more than 8,000 years were more dominant than those tree species that have not been touched.

These forest that are still abundant with the different tree species are not just archeological sites but also part of a cultural heritage. The abundance of the forest is a way to look into preserving the ecosystem. This study also makes people learn how to cultivate the trees without deforestation.

These plants also can be used to detect other archeological sites. The cultivation from ancient people had been a great help for the Amazon to still be abundant with these different types of trees. The people from long ago used these fruit trees for their living.

Meanwhile, a report indicated that there is a relationship between domestication and the forest's abundance. The more there were settlers before the more the trees are healthy. In fact, these can be seen at this time on the Amazon.