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Easter Island, located in the southern Pacific Ocean, was inhabited by Polynesians approximately 800 A.D. and was left untouched by European settlers in the 1722. Easter Island was once abundant in resources, but was pushed past its limit by the Polynesians through deforestation to make room for gardens, and to use the wood for fire, canoes, buildings, and to raise their iconic stone statues. Through hunting, their biodiversity decreased dramatically. Agriculture became extremely difficult, making everyday life far more difficult. As European settlers reached Easter Island, disease struck them, dropping their population.
The story of the Easter Islanders can relate to our world today. Our population and development demands exploiting our natural resources. Our carrying capacity is reaching its maximum and the earth can only support so many people. Deforestation and animal extinction are still prevalent. Over time, man's relationship with our environment has become one-sided. We continue to take and do not give the earth time to replenish itself. If we continue to misuse our natural resources and not turn to sustainable alternatives, it will be likely that we will no longer be able to live with the technology we have, feed ourselves adequately, and have enough water for everyone to survive. Some indicators that our earth is reaching it's carrying capacity are droughts, over-farming (leading to the infertility of soil), and cities such as Santiago, Chile becoming unhealthy to live in from air pollution.
The lessons that we can learn is that it's integral to respect nature's cycle, and to not take advantage of it excessively.
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3 Comment(s)
Hi, great blog post, I really enjoyed reading it!
I was a little confused in the first paragraph when you talked about the island being 'left untouched' by Europeans in 1722 - did you mean found untouched, or they found it and then left it again? I was particularly impressed by the logical progression you drew from the effects of deforestation to loss of biodiversity, agricultural issues and disease. This made it a really powerful setup for the second paragraph.
I was also really impressed with the number of real-life examples you used in the second paragraph of your post. I agree with Laura that using a phrase different from 'The story' would help add to its effect - 'the account' or 'the history' might work a lot better! I also really liked your summary sentence. It's a really excellent piece of writing all in all!
Beth
Hello guys,
I like your blog. It succinctly explains the story of the easter island without getting lost in the details, and then illustrates its relevance by drawing lines towards our current overuse of resources. I have a few comments however:
This is relatively minor: In the last sentence of the first paragraph, it is unclear whether you are saying that the easter islanders were struck by disease, or the europeans. I assume you meant that the easter islanders were the ones who died from disease.
You list relevant examples at the end, and bring up Santiago as a specific example. However, this also stands out as the only specific example you use. See if you can include more specific examples like this. Also, consider putting the indicator/examples before you conclude, rather tan the other way around. (i. e. put them after the second sentence) This creates a more logical flow in your blog.
Good Job!
Hi there!
- Great first paragraph!
- Second paragraph. I'd advise to not start with "The story" as it leads to read as a fictitious story rather than a factual, significant,
historical chapter on a society. "Over time, humankind's relationship..." - Good lesson!
I feel that this is a very strong blog post, you highlighted important issues with examples and comparisons. There was a previous blog post that also spoke about Easter Island. I will share a few comments I gave them with you, if you feel that you need the additional resources or advice.
Very good job.
Laura
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Start of comment given to another blog about Easter Island:
- I'd advise to not start with "The story" as it leads to read as a fictitious story rather than a factual, significant,
historical chapter on a society. - I'd restructure it to say that the population was not informed of the problems that would arise from overusing their resources. We are lucky that we can learn from their unknowing mistake and something positive can come out of their misfortune.
- I would add "Unknowingly, they used unsustainable farming methods such as a slash and burn agriculture technique that involved burning and cutting down the trees and other vegetation.
- Check out this resource http://rainforests.
mongabay.com/09easter_island. paragraph 6, goes into detail the feedback that deforestation caused on their society (including the animal inhabitants)ht...
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Beth Richardson
Dec 6, 2015