What the species is and where it came from
The Amazon rainforest is a moist broadleaf tropical rainforest in the Amazon biome, formed during the Eocene era and covering most of the Amazon basin of South America.
How it works, in terms someone would actually use
It works as a moist broadleaf tropical rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin in South America.
What it gets right
It gets right the scale and density of life: 390 billion trees across ~16,000 species, covering 6 million km², receiving ~9 feet of rain annually.
What it does not
It does not exist as a static, natural baseline. It has undergone significant vegetation changes over the last 21,000 years and was shaped by humans for at least 11,000 years.
What it changed
It changed how we understand human influence on ecosystems: large portions are probably the result of centuries of human management, not untouched wilderness.
Who it is for, and who it is not
It is for field ecologists, palaeoecologists, and land-use historians. It is not for anyone seeking a ‘pristine’ wilderness baseline.
Is it worth your time
Yes, if you want to see the largest and most biodiverse tract of tropical rainforest on Earth — but not because it is pristine.
