The Moai, Easter Island’s famous stone statues burned in a fire earlier this year, are a sign of growing tension between landowners and conservationists on this remote island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
The 164 square kilometer island that the locals call Rapa Nui has been Chilean territory since 1880 and is famous for its huge, centuries-old monolithic human figures.
In recent years, tension has grown between cattle ranchers and conservation authorities. On the one hand there are the ancient local families under the banner of the so-called Rapa Nui parliament, an emanation of a previous council of elders, who advocate a return to the ancient clan system for the division of the land.
On the other side: environmentalists and an elected council charged with managing the national park that makes up nearly half of the island and is dotted with Moai statues. According to them, some people are using the park lands for cattle ranching, causing the fires.
“We have seen an exponential increase in cattle breeding and agriculture, especially since the beginning of the pandemic,” Merahi Atam, a local archaeologist, told Reuters.
In October, ranchers burning pastures sparked a fire that tore through the island’s Rano Raraku volcanic crater and damaged several Moai.
According to Chilean government data, fires on Easter Island have increased since the 1990s, when the highest number was recorded.
According to a study of livestock on the island conducted by the University of Chile the number of livestock on the island has risen to more than 6,000 from 3,400 in 1966 and graze or traverse nearly 80% of the national park.
