[00:00.44]Rich volcanic soils nourished a forest of giant palms that was home to many unique species,
[00:06.82]including Easter Island versions of herons, parrots, rails and owls.
[00:12.03]Today, they are all gone.
[00:14.70]The people, ultimately, didn't do much better.
[00:17.10]The rise and tragic demise of the Easter Islanders, the Rapa Nui, is now legendary.
[00:22.71]This quarry once occupied the majority of the island's workforce, thousands of people,
[00:28.33]with each clan trying to carve and raise a bigger, grander figure than those of their neighbours.
[00:34.08]Vast amounts of timber would have been required to transport and erect the giant moai, and slowly but surely, the forests vanished.
[00:43.01]Eventually, there was no wood left even to build boats.
[00:46.60]without fishing boats, they would have been denied their main source of food, and their one means of escape.
[00:53.67]As resources dwindled, Easter Island society descended into chaos and warfare.
[00:59.88]The giant statues were pulled to the ground, possibly acts of sabotage between rival clans.
[01:05.58]