The western Amazon is one of the world's last high-biodiversity wilderness areas, characterized by extraordinary species richness and large tracts of roadless humid tropical forest. It is also home to an active hydrocarbon (oil and gas) sector, characterized by operations in extremely remote areas that require new access routes. Here, we present the first integrated analysis of the hydrocarbon sector and its associated road-building in the western Amazon. Specifically, we document the (a) current panorama, including location and development status of all oil and gas discoveries, of the sector, and (b) current and future scenario of access (i.e. access road versus roadless access) to discoveries. We present an updated 2014 western Amazon hydrocarbon map illustrating that oil and gas blocks now cover 733 414 km 2 , an area much larger than the US state of Texas, and have been expanding since the last assessment in 2008. In terms of access, we documented 11 examples of the access road model and six examples of roadless access across the region. Finally, we documented 35 confirmed and/or suspected untapped hydrocarbon discoveries across the western Amazon. In the Discussion, we argue that if these reserves must be developed, use of the offshore inland model-a method that strategically avoids the construction of access roads-is crucial to minimizing ecological impacts in one of the most globally important conservation regions.

Multistratified archaeological sites are important archives of past human activities, recording the superposition of anthropogenic deposits over centuries and millennia. We attempted the reconstruction of buried geomorphic and archaeological surfaces in the 1.55 km 2 , 7 m thick, multistrati-

The Tagaeri Taromenane People are two indigenous groups belonging to the Waorani first nation living in voluntary isolation within the Napo region of the western Amazon rainforest. To protect their territory the Ecuadorean State has declared and geographically defined, by Decrees, the Zona Intangible Tagaeri Taromenane (ZITT). This zone is located within the UNESCO Yasuní Biosphere Reserve (1989), one of the most biodiverse areas in the world. Due to several hydrocarbon reserve exploitation projects running in the area and the advancing of a large-scale deforestation front, the survival of these groups is presently at risk. The general aim was to validate the ZITT boundary using the geographical references included in the Decree 2187 (2007) by analyzing the geomorphological characteristics of the area. Remote sensing data such as Digital Elevation Models (DEM), Landsat imagery, topographic cartography of IGM-Ecuador, and fieldwork geographical data have been integrated and processed by Geographical Information System (GIS). The ZITT presents two levels of geographic inconsistencies. The first dimension is about the serious cartographical weaknesses in the perimeter delimitation related to the impossibility of linking two rivers belonging to different basins while the second deals with the perimeter line not respecting the hydrographic network. The GIS analysis results clearly show that ZITT boundary is cartographically nonsense due to the impossibility of mapping out the perimeter. Furthermore, GIS analysis of anthropological data shows presence of Tagaeri Taromenane clans outside the ZITT perimeter, within oil production areas and in nearby farmer settlements, reflecting the limits of protection policies for non-contacted indigenous territory. The delimitation of the ZITT followed a traditional pattern of geometric boundary not taking into account the nomadic characteristic of Tagaeri Taromenane: it is necessary to adopt geographical approaches to recognize the indigenous right to their liveable territories in the complex territorialities enacted by different stakeholders.

Processing and interpretation of July 2007 digital visible and near-infrared aerial photographs, coupled by a digital terrain model, has allowed for detailed reconstruction of the topography and the paleoenvironmental setting of the Roman city of Altinum, shedding new light on the far origins of Venice. Images were taken during severe dry conditions, which stressed the maize and soy crops. The city walls and doors, the street network, dwellings, theaters, amphitheater, forum, emporia, basilica, and a complex network of rivers and canals have been mapped.

Geophysical prospection on 14 ha integrates the processing and interpretation of vertical multispectral and oblique\ud aerial images for uncovering the archaeology of the Roman city of Altinum. This Iron Age and Roman harbour city\ud was completely abandoned in the early Middle Ages, when people moved to nearby lagoon islands, and so the site\ud is particularly fit for the application of non-invasive techniques. Primary aims of the research were to test the interpretation\ud of archaeological structures in the city centre, estimate their degree of preservation in the subsoil, and update\ud previous knowledge on the urban landscape. Target areas were identified first through remote sensing with later\ud magnetic gradiometer mapping of the consular road (via Annia) and its adjoining streets, foundations of large buildings,\ud theatres, temple and forum, a main canal with possible boatyard/storing place and workshops. Multi-electrode\ud automatic resistivity profile produced a very detailed survey of the little theatre (odeon) and basilica. The groundpenetrating\ud radar traced the city walls, while frequency-domain electromagnetics mapped the street pattern.\ud Buried archaeological structures were located with an estimated error < 0.5 m. Floors and foundations of Roman\ud buildings and infrastructures appear to be preserved between 0.5 and 2 m depth. They probably relate to a reorganization\ud of the city, which occurred between the second half of the second century and the end of the first century\ud BC, having via Annia and the forum as the main city axis, and incorporating few elements of the Iron Age settlement,\ud such as the canal and city boundary. Eight city districts could be recognized, each one showing prevalent public,\ud residential and other productive functions. In the ancient past the monumental buildings of the city were potentially\ud visible from ships in the Adriatic Sea, and could act as nautical signals of the entrance to the lagoon along this low\ud and otherwise monotonous coast. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd