Easter Island: A Pathway to Sustainable Development

Abstract

Remote Easter Island, a 166 square kilometer outcrop in the Pacific Ocean 3,700 kilometers from mainland Chile, is best known for the incredible moai carvings and for being the site of a man-made environmental disaster that devastated a population and culture. Today, Easter Island's population is threatened by a second environmental catastrophe. This paper focuses on ecological sustainability, looking at the problem facing the modem Easter Island (Rapa Nui), and outlines the steps that need to be taken to help the Islanders on a pathway to sustainable development.