Easter Island study casts doubt on theory of ‘ecocide’ by early population

Researchers challenge long-held idea that islanders chopped down palm trees at an unsustainable rate

Easter Island has long been put forward as a prime example of humans undermining their own survival by destroying the environment they rely on. But now fresh data is turning the narrative on its head.

Also known as Rapa Nui, the remote island in Polynesia is well known for its huge stone statues called moai" and for the idea that its growing population collapsed because of ecocide".