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