| [00:00.44] | Rich volcanic soils nourished a forest of giant palms that was home to many unique species, |
| [00:06.82] | including Easter Island versions of herons, parrots, rails and owls. |
| [00:12.03] | Today, they are all gone. |
| [00:14.70] | The people, ultimately, didn't do much better. |
| [00:17.10] | The rise and tragic demise of the Easter Islanders, the Rapa Nui, is now legendary. |
| [00:22.71] | This quarry once occupied the majority of the island's workforce, thousands of people, |
| [00:28.33] | with each clan trying to carve and raise a bigger, grander figure than those of their neighbours. |
| [00:34.08] | Vast amounts of timber would have been required to transport and erect the giant moai, and slowly but surely, the forests vanished. |
| [00:43.01] | Eventually, there was no wood left even to build boats. |
| [00:46.60] | without fishing boats, they would have been denied their main source of food, and their one means of escape. |
| [00:53.67] | As resources dwindled, Easter Island society descended into chaos and warfare. |
| [00:59.88] | The giant statues were pulled to the ground, possibly acts of sabotage between rival clans. |
| [01:05.58] |
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