海洋岛屿 27

Before long, each clan was trying to carve larger,grander figures

than those of their neighbours - competition that was to be their undoing.

Vast quantities of wood were used to transport the stone statues,

and slowly but surely,

the Rapa Nui used up their island's precious resources.

Eventually,

their civilisation descended into chaos and warfare.

Clan fought against clan,

with disastrous consequences.

By the time of their ultimate collapse,

the Rapa Nui had changed their island beyond recognition.

These are the hills where the giant palm forest once stood.

And these are the cliffs that once rang to the sound of those huge seabird colonies,

all hunted to extinction by the Rapa Nui.

Today, the giant stone statues are a poignant reminder of the precarious nature of life on remote islands.