What caused the downfall of Easter Island? Maybe not what you think...

Easter Island has always been a favorite mystery of historians. First of all are the weird statues.



Then the question of what the heck happened here? The prevailing theory has been "ecocide" - human self-extinction from environmental degradation. Or to put it briefly: they shouldna cut down all da trees.

Maybe not. One scientist disputes the popular moralizing by best-selling author Jared Diamond in Collapse, as well as others. While I can sympathize with those who are convinced we are pillaging our natural resources, things are seldom as clear-cut as they seem.

I believe that the world faces today an unprecedented global environmental crisis, and I see the usefulness of historical examples of the pitfalls of environmental destruction. So it was with some unease that I concluded that Rapa Nui does not provide such a model. But as a scientist I cannot ignore the problems with the accepted narrative of the island's prehistory. Mistakes or exaggerations in arguments for protecting the environment only lead to oversimplified answers and hurt the cause of environmentalism. We will end up wondering why our simple answers were not enough to make a difference in confronting today's problems.

Ecosystems are complex, and there is an urgent need to understand them better. Certainly the role of rats on Rapa Nui shows the potentially devastating, and often unexpected, impact of invasive species. I hope that we will continue to explore what happened on Rapa Nui, and to learn whatever other lessons this remote outpost has to teach us.

Regardless, I know people will often opt for the most ominous and exciting scenario - it's human nature to prefer the unusual to the mundane.

As for me, I just feel better about killing every rat I can.