Skole and Tucker (1993) documented the rate and extent of recent deforestation in the Amazon Basin in Brazil. This is a prominent example of the land cover changes that likely threaten biological diversity. However, scientists have documented agricultural activity in New World tropical forests beginning at least 6,000 years ago. What makes present-day deforestation in the Amazon Basin different from this historical activity? What does the long history of agriculture in the Amazon Basin suggest about the potential for coexistence of agriculture and biological diversity there?