奇妙岛屿 26

Perhaps the fate of Easter Island

was not sealed by the human who felled that last tree,

but by the rat that ate the last palm nut

Other South Pacific islands

have also seen civilisations rise and fall,

though none have left such dramatic reminders of their passing

as the giant statues of the Rapa Nui

Now re-erected,

they've come to symbolise

how precarious life can be on an isolated island

For this island has not been abandoned

A few Rapa Nui survived,

and now they're thriving once more,

entertaining visitors from the outside world

Trees have been planted,

though it's too late for the unique creatures that once lived here

Elsewhere, on islands throughout the Pacific,

there is still time

People are working hard

to remove the creatures that don't belong here

and make space once again for the curiosities,

from kagus to kakapo,

that make the South Pacific such a uniquely wonderful world