Lessons for the present and future?

Even though in my blog I have tended to favour the opposing argument to the conventional story, which obviously makes a very good analogy for the issues human society faces today in regards to environmental degradation and climate change, I still think that the alternative explanations offer important lessons. 

Vulnerability

A key issue talked about by a number of researchers was the vulnerability of the environment on Easter. The island received a very small amount of rainfall, relatively strong winds and a very small amount of volcanic dust to fertilise the soil (Rolett and Diamond 2004). Furthermore, the soils of the island allowed rainfall to percolate very quickly due to it’s volcanic nature, cutting down freshwater supplies significant, reflected by the island’s one stream (Flenley and Bahn 2003). The island therefore had poor soil quality and a small amount of reliable freshwater, making it almost predisposed to deforestation. Furthermore, the small size and isolation of the island made it relatively deficient in biota (Flenley 1993), giving it very low biodiversity, thus making it especially vulnerable to invasive species (Willis and Birks 2006). 

I think therefore Easter shows the danger of exerting pressure on already vulnerable environments. Hunt and Lipo (2009) showed evidence of adaption developed by the islanders, but the environment still declined regardless. In terms of biodiversity and conservation management this is a key lesson, as identifying areas most at risk of environmental degradation is a major objective (Willis and Birks 2006), and the treeless island, almost devoid of native species of both animals and plants should be a stark warning.

Invasive Species

As mentioned the geography of the island made it especially vulnerable to invasive species and as I mentioned in a number of posts rats were likely a key driver of deforestation on the island, gnawing palm nuts to prevent the forests from regenerating (Hunt & Lipo 2009). Rats as an invasive species on a small island would have been able to reproduce rapidly with no natural predators and prey on the animal and plant life on the island almost unhindered.

An article on Britannica discusses the impacts invasive species can have on ecosystems in depth, noting that they can both reduce an ecosystem’s biodiversity and cause severe economic harm to the people dependent on the ecosystem’s biological resources, as rats would have on Easter, through their use of both palm nuts and animal eggs as primary food sources (Hunt &Lipo 2009). It is possible that rats not only aided in depletion of the forests but through their predation of other animal species made further resources more scarce for the islanders, pushing the Polynesians into pressuring the forests and the land to make up for this. The effect invasive species can have on ecosystems can be devastating as I have discussed in earlier posts, and indeed likely had a very harmful impact on Easter, so it is important (as conservationists have noted) to take heed of the effect invaders can have on environments, especially fragile ones like Easter's.  

So the alternative Easter Island story does provide some clear lessons for the issues humanity faces today, with environmental vulnerability and invasive species being key topics in most serious conservation and biodiversity management schemes.