Easter Island

No matter how you take in this basically deserted mystery island, there is no doubt that it is marvelous. The mystery behind how these giant stone like people were placed where they are is really what draws you in to want to learn more. Going into this, that is really all I knew about Easter Island. I did not know about the agriculture, or lack there of, or about the rapid decline that happened after humans basically ran it till there was nothing left.

Analyzing cause and consequences I believe is one of the best ways to go about this. What caused the rapid decline of agriculture? What caused Easter Island to go from having a ton of trees to none? Where humans that ill minded that they did not realize that if they continued to use something without replacing/replanting/replentish it that it would just diminish?

The fall of Easter Island did not come from one man alone, but the civilization as a whole. The rapid use of trees took a huge hit on the civilization. Using trees for shelter, warmth, and (in theory) move these giant statues, caused them to rapidly decline. Add on top of that the lack of agriculture needs to plant anything basically besides sweet potatoes; and the lack of domesticated animals able to live in the area and you have a civilization that can no longer thrive. Leaving no other choice but to flee, or in some cases stay and result to cannabalism.

So were humans the sole base of the fall of Easter Island? I guess we can’t say that completely as the needs for agriculture to survive was not entirely the fault of man kind.