SAO PAULO LETTER
Lately a small and curious plane has been wandering over the Amazon. In appearance, nothing distinguishes it from its congeners, except the very low altitude of its flight. But on board the plane carries a very particular technology, Lidar. : a high-precision laser remote sensing process capable of “undressing” the vegetation, revealing the secrets hidden under the canopy and, perhaps, contributing to its rescue.
The cuckoo operates on behalf of the Amazonia Revelada (“Amazon Revelada”) project, launched in 2023 by Brazilian archaeologist Eduardo Goes Neves. At 58 years old, this renowned professor at the University of Sao Paulo has spent more than half of his life searching the jungle in search of remains. “But today I no longer want to talk only about 8,000-year-old ceramics. I want to act in the present! »explains the scientist.
“Lidar emits billions of waves per second, a small part of which passes through the forest and reaches the ground, allowing the identification of elevations or human structures.” “he continues. Over the past year, this process of “digital deforestation” mapped nearly 1,600 square kilometers, the equivalent of fifteen times the area of Paris, from the mouth of the Amazon to the landlocked state of Acre.
About thirty “sites” were discovered. Geometric structures, raised fields, a wall and even an abandoned Portuguese village, dating back to the 18th century.my century, on the border with Bolivia. “Wherever we look, we find!” »enthuses Goes Neves, for whom the Amazon is anything but a virgin jungle or a “humid desert”: “It is a biocultural heritage, an ecological but also civilizational basin, deeply transformed by indigenous peoples. »
But the stated objective It is not limited to science. the project “It is also a reaction against the devastation of the Amazon”insists the archaeologist. The Lidar flyover areas have been carefully selected to follow several front lines of deforestation that are ravaging the rainforest today. Since the beginning of the year, more than 100,000 fires have been identified in the rainforest, double the number recorded in 2023.
“Sacred places”
The Brazilian Constitution, as well as a law in force since 1961, requires authorities to protect archaeological sites.. Amazonia Revealed Therefore, it is intended to create new conservation areas made up of portions of forests that house preserved remains. “Or the creation of a new layer of protection, this time cultural”summarizes Goes Neves.
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