Prehistoric Destruction of the Primeval Soils and Vegetation of Rapa Nui (Isla de Pascua, Easter Island)

Three Millennia of Climatic, Ecological, and Cultural Change on Easter Island: An Integrative Overview

“…According to the prevailing view, the first settlers arrived between AD 800 and AD 1200 from east Polynesia and overexploited the island's natural resources causing an ecological catastrophe leading to a cultural collapse (Flenley and Bahn, 2003). The main evidence for this theory was the abrupt replacement of palm pollen by grass pollen in the sediments of the island's lakes and mires (Raraku, Kao, and Aroi), which was interpreted in terms of a thorough deforestation between approximately AD 1200 and AD 1400/1600 (Flenley and King, 1984;Flenley et al, 1991;Mann et al, 2008). This ecocidal view is widely accepted not only by the scientific community but also by society, thanks to its popularization by the mass media.…”

“…Mann et al (2008) favored the occurrence of Late Holocene droughts and Sáez et al (2009) suggested their potential role in deforestation. This view was not shared by Junk and Claussen (2011) who believe that, during the last millennium, climate changes alone might have been too small to explain strong vegetation changes that have occurred on the island.…”

Revisiting Rapa Nui (Easter Island) “Ecocide”

“…Precisely the lines of evidence that Diamond (2007Diamond ( :1693 suggested for dating the island's first settlement (i.e., first presence of Pacific rat, initial burning, changes in vegetation, and initial dates from several sites, etc.) consistently point to approximately A.D. 1200 as the start of colonization (see Mann et al 2003, Hunt and Lipo 2006. Diamond (2007) nonetheless opined that the chronology of island settlement remains in question, implying that it may be many centuries longer.…”

“…Elsewhere, most of the island is covered by bedrock outcrops and a remarkably stony surface composed of volcanic cobbles and boulders. Poike is not the only area of early cultivation, as evidence throughout the island reveals closely contemporaneous use of fire, etc., beginning in the late thirteenth century (see Mann et al 2003Mann et al , 2008. Moreover, there is little evidence that ''stone mulching'' is exclusively an agricultural response to deforestation, or particularly to falling crop yields (Figure 2).…”

Systematic Diversity of the Family Poaceae (Gramineae) in Chile

“…The island has a small amount of vegetation. Currently, there are 22 genera and about 200 species of seed plants, most of them introduced (Mann et al, 2003 Mann et al, 2003;Markgraf, 2003;Matthei, 1995;Skottsberg, 1956;Steadman, 1995). In the archipelago of Juan Fernández (Region of Valparaíso), Poaceae is represented by approximately 35 genera and 61 species.…”