Exploring the Effect of Ancient Landscape Modifications on Current Vegetation Structure in the Rio Bravo Conservation Area, Belize

Summary

This is an abstract from the "2023 Fryxell Award Symposium: Papers in Honor of Timothy Beach Part II" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Airborne laser scanning (ALS), also referred to as lidar, has enabled archaeologists, geologists, geomorphologists, and many others to identify and map ancient modifications of the landscape under dense forest canopies. The impact of ALS in archaeological settlement research has been profound and, to some, even revolutionary. However, its impact in other archaeological fields or related disciplines has been less marked despite a clear potential. With this research, we aim to explore the effect that ancient Maya landscape modifications have on current ecosystems, particularly as reflected by vegetation and its vertical structure. Employing ALS data in conjunction with ecological field data collected in the Rio Bravo Conservation Management Area in Belize, we test the long-held hypothesis that modern environments are partly attributable to human alterations over thousands of years. Using both lowland and upland areas, we will statistically compare vegetation structure of areas with evidence of Maya landscape modification to other areas that do not show anthropogenic perturbation. Statistical and geospatial analyses will be performed to determine the significance or lack thereof of ancient human influence on modern vegetation structure.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• 2023 Fryxell Award Symposium: Papers in Honor of Timothy Beach Part II   •
• Society for American Archaeology 88th Annual Meeting, Portland, OR (2023)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 37335.0