Did History Actually Teach Us Anything? – Episode 10 Easter Island Ecological Collapse

Laura: 
Welcome to Did History Actually Teach Us Anything?
The podcast where we unravel the most well-known tales of calamity, mishap, and unforeseen consequences that have shaped the course of history. And consider whether we've actually learned anything from them all these years later... 
In this podcast, we examine the historical events that you may think you know about already and the causes that led to them, be they icebergs or bakers ovens. 
We will consider whether these tragedies could have been avoided, and some of the surprising things we do differently now as a result. 
But this podcast, isn't just about dates and events. It's about learning from the past, drawing insights from hindsight, and gaining a deeper appreciation for the complexities of what really happened in these events we think we know so well. 
So get ready to encounter remarkable individuals, pivotal moments and fascinating insights that will make you appreciate health and safety and environmental management as far more than just red tape. 
In this episode, we explore how extreme deforestation led to the complete ecological breakdown of one of the world's most remote places: Easter Island. 
Forest harvesting had taken place for around 500 years, and the consequences on the island were dire. Resources had diminished, the ecosystem had collapsed, and the residents were trapped with no way off the island. 
Eventually, they began to turn on each other.
Joining us to explore this cautionary tale is our environmental management expert, John, who's going to start with a brief overview of what happened and the legacy it holds in our environment today.

John: 
Easter Island, also known as Rapa Nui, is an island of 163km2, located around 3,500 km from the coast of Chile in the Pacific Ocean. 
It is one of the world's most remote inhabited islands, with the nearest inhabited land around 2,000 km away. 
Nature on the island has been degraded by human intervention, such that it is now a far cry from what it should be if humans had not exploited it in an unsustainable way.
It serves as a cautionary tale as to the damage we are doing to our planet and highlights the importance of sustainable natural resource use. 
It also shows how ecological collapse can have far reaching social implications.

Laura: 
So, John, can you explain the potential causes of the environmental decline? 

John: 
When Easter Island was first discovered by Europeans in 1772, it was a landscape that was desolate and empty, and around 2000 people lived in a poor state of health, with high levels of civil disorder. 
Animal life was limited, being mainly dominated by rats. 
The Europeans were, however, mystified as to the presence of large stone statues, some as tall as 20 meters, how could these people build such impressive structures and move them around the island?
The answer to this paradox is within the island's past, when it was a much different place. 
Imagine looking out over the island and seeing a lush subtropical paradise dominated by the tall Easter Island palm. 
The trees were a valuable natural resource, been used by the inhabitants for building homes, boats, and the equipment needed to move and erect the statues.
Moving statues around the island required a significant amount of materials, such as wooden platforms and rope, both of which were sourced from the forest. 
Pollen analysis shows that at the peak level of statue creation, between 1200 and 1500 AD, the island's tree population was in rapid decline. 
The Easter Island palm became extinct around the 1400s, not helped by the large population of Polynesian rats that were introduced by those who first arrived.
The rats ate the plant's seeds, although they were used as a source of food by the islanders.

Laura: 
So what impact did the deforestation of the island have? 

John: 
The deforestation led to a change in diet of the islanders. 
No longer being able to build canoes, their diet changed from fish and mammals caught out in the sea to land dwelling and migratory birds and mollusks. 
It wasn't long before land birds became extinct and migratory bird numbers suffered a catastrophic decline.
The statues were abandoned, as the materials needed to make equipment to move them, particularly rope, were no longer present. 
With the loss of trees and vegetation, the island experienced soil erosion. 
The topsoil, essential for agriculture, was gradually depleted, making it challenging to sustain crops. 
As soil quality declined, agricultural productivity dropped.
The islanders ability to grow sufficient food for the population was reduced. 
Fires became a rarity as there was limited access of wood to burn, so grass was burnt instead. 
People also began to starve due to the depletion of the island's birds, and no access to the ocean due to a lack of boats to be able to fish.
Reduction in bird life, reduced pollination and seed dispersal, meaning food and other plant based resources, were much reduced. 
The collapse of a once abundant palm forest and a decline in agricultural productivity contributed to a depletion of essential resources, creating challenges for sustaining the population.
Deforestation had a major impact on the relations between the islanders. 
Those that survived formed tribes. Fighting occurred between tribes and orderly society broke down. 
In a war like state, life for the islanders would have been grim. 
When Europeans first arrived in 1722, they find a desperate and emaciated society a long way from the great civilisation which had built and erected those world famous statues.

Laura: 
Is there any way that the ecological collapse could have been avoided? 

John: 
It is important to note that the people of Easter Island likely made decisions based on their knowledge and circumstances available to them at the time. 
Hindsight allows us to identify potential alternative solutions based on accumulated knowledge since the incident occurred. 
While it's challenging to definitively say whether the collapse could have been entirely avoided, there were potentially alternative solutions that if taken might have mitigated environmental decline.
Fundamentally, implementing sustainable forestry governance practices would have helped maintain the palm tree population. 
Selective harvesting, tree planting and restrictions on cutting down mature trees without allowing for natural regeneration could have been appropriate strategies. 
Adopting more sustainable agricultural practices, such as terrace farming, to prevent soil erosion, and crop rotation could have preserved soil fertility and developing adaptive strategies to cope with the changing environmental conditions, such as the adoption of alternative building materials or agricultural methods, might have helped the islanders consume less wood and other products from the forest.
Furthermore, managing population growth in proportion to available resources is a critical aspect of avoiding ecological collapse. 
Effective measures to control population growth could have reduced demand on the resources that the island provided. 
In addition to this, encouraging cultural attitudes and practices that value environmental stewardship and sustainable living could have played a crucial role.
This might involve a shift away from the practices that led to resource depletion. 
Finally, the introduction of new ideas from contact with others around the world could have brought new ideas on how to manage resources in a more effective way. 
Awareness and collaboration with external entities could have been leveraged for sustainable development.

Laura: 
So, John, what lessons were learned from the collapse, and what impact has that had on the planet and our attitudes to the environment? 


John: 
While the specifics of each historical case are unique, the broader themes from Easter Island encourage contemporary societies to consider the implications of their natural resource management practices. 
Awareness of these lessons has contributed to discussions around sustainable development, conservation, and the importance of a harmonious relationship between human societies and the environment. 
The hope is that by learning from historical examples like Easter Island, we can make more informed choices to ensure the long-term health of our planet and the well being of future generations.
The importance of sustainable resource management is a key lesson from this case study. 
Overexploitation of natural resources, particularly deforestation and soil degradation, can have severe and lasting consequences on ecosystems and human societies.
The Easter Island example highlights the role of cultural practices and values in shaping the relationship between a community and its environment. 
Cultures that prioritize environmental stewardship and sustainable living are more likely to be successful and endure over time. 
The history of Easter Island reinforces the importance of predicting the consequences of environmental damage and its knock on impacts. 
Societies that make decisions to preserve the environment will thrive both socially and economically and are likely to have a long lifespan. Those that do not will have a short time on our wonderful planet. 
The damage to Easter Island serves as a cautionary tale that should we significantly degrade our environment then a huge cost to society must be borne.
We've damaged nature at our peril.


Laura: 
Thanks for joining us on this episode of Did History Actually Teach Us Anything?. 
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