The theory that cutting down trees caused ecological collapse is a myth spread by colonizers. The people of Rapa Nui were thriving and the large trees had likely been gone for centuries due to rat infestations brought by the islanders. You’d think this would collapse their ecology but the Rapa Nui people were ingenuitive. Upon noticing the increased erosion and saltiness in their soil from the sea spray they began planting walled gardens and using a technique called rock mulching that actually improved the soil quality. We actually find that the ruins they left behind are still doing their job to improve the soil with even 3 times as many minerals inside the ruins as opposed to outside them.

When the first europeans stumpled upon this island they originally thought it was a desert from a distance but upon arriving found it to be a bustling land of plenty. There was plenty of food and activity. The skeletons we have found actually showed a more nutritious diet than europeans at the time. I should also address the myth of civil war. There is no evidence of this. There are many obsidian knives but they are often found near gardens. There are no fortresses or watch towers or walls like on Rapa Iti which did experience a period of severe warfare. Its likely these people never saw battle. They even had dangerous competitive traditions that may have pacified the more warlike men’s desire for glory.

Its actually suggested by the evidence that their population never did collapse before european arrival. After the dutch arrived in the 1700s disease spread quickly and devastated their population. When the spanish arrive some 48 years later and spread a new batch of disease their population had only just barely recovered. 4 years later there were only a few hundred left and all their statues had been toppled by them. I think their faith in the protection of their ancestors was shattered at this point. They began to great foreigners with weapons