“All monkeys are restricted to the canopy, as are bats, and many birds,” says Ecuadorian scientist Jarol Fernando Vaca, noting anywhere from 60 to 90 percent of Amazon life, including primates, reptiles, and thousands of insects, reside at these heights and seldom leave this treetop tangle. The last is now a staple in the rainforest tourism experience, with canopy walkways welcoming travelers across six continents.īut now, a new tourism crane in the Ecuadorian Amazon, which debuted in March, offers an exclusive look into what Lowman considers the “eighth continent.” Over the years, these canopy scientists, nicknamed “arbornauts,” have concocted creative research vessels: balloons, cherry-picker lifts, drones, cranes, towers, and walkways. Their findings-particularly on species density and diversity-revolutionized forest ecology. Canopy analyses began four decades ago when pioneers like Lowman used ropes and harnesses to reach the near impenetrable dome of foliage, vines, branches, and epiphytes. “We know more about the moon than we do the Amazon forest canopy,” says National Geographic Explorer Meg Lowman, executive director of the TREE Foundation.įorest crown science is in its infancy.
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