Rapa Nui: A Cautionary Tale

Rapa Nui is a small island in the southeastern Pacific Ocean. Known by its more famous name, Easter Island, it lies more than 2000 km from the nearest in habited island and more than 3500 km from the mainland of South America. It is one of the most isolated, uninhabited islands on Earth.

The island was first settled by Polynesian people who sailed there from other island groups thousands of kilometers away. Its English name comes from the first Europeans, who arrived at Easter time in 1722. Today, Rapa Nui is known for two main things: the immense stone statues known as moai that stand watch over the land, and a tale of its destruction by its inhabitants.

Version 1: A Cautionary Tale

For years the case of Easter Island has been held up as an example of how humans can ruin their environment. In this view, the island was first settled around 800 C.E., but the population stayed small in size. About the year 1200, the population began increasing rapidly, and the culture focused on building moai. Most of the palm forests were cleared for farming. The wood was used for fuel, boat building, and fashioning large frames to transport the heavy statues. These practices were not sustainable. Deforestation let to soil erosion and overexposure to salt winds from the ocean. Without wood to build fishing boats, people could not fish for food. The environmental collapse brought on by human actions caused the society to decline into famine, warfare, and even cannibalism.

Version 2: A More Complex Picture

Recent research suggests that the original settlers did not arrive until about 1200 C.E., and they started cutting down trees and building moai soon after. They brought with them rats, as either stowaways or a food source. With no natural predators on the island, the rat population increased dramatically. The rats fed on the seeds of the palm trees, thus worsening the island’s deforestation. The humans and the rats both contributed to the decline of the island’s ecosystem. The Europeans, who brought conflict and new diseases, worsened the society’s collapse.

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