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Cover of Easter Island

Easter Island

by John Loret

Book Details

Publisher:Springer Science & Business Media
Published:2012-12-06
Pages:245
Format:BOOK
Language:en

Reading Info

About This Book

Easter Island, a World Heritage Site is still, after over 50 years since Thor Heyerdahl's work on the island, a fascinating area to explore and learn about a culture that has only remnants remaining, while documenting a marine ecology still mostly unknown. Easter Island: Scientific Exploration into the World's Environmental Problems in Microcosm presents the research results from three years of interdisciplinary expeditions to Easter Island. The primary objectives were to investigate the effects

Our Review

This scientific exploration offers a deep dive into the environmental and cultural mysteries of a World Heritage Site, presenting the findings from a three-year, interdisciplinary research expedition. The book investigates the island as a microcosm for global environmental problems, moving beyond the famous moai statues to document a marine ecology that remains largely unknown and a culture of which only remnants survive. It builds upon the foundational work of figures like Thor Heyerdahl, providing a modern scientific perspective on this remote and fascinating location.

The book's strength lies in its synthesis of different fields, offering a holistic view of the island's past and present ecological challenges. Readers with a serious interest in archaeology, anthropology, or environmental science will find a compelling case study in how a society interacts with its fragile ecosystem. This is not a casual travelogue but a substantive report that connects the fate of an isolated civilization to broader, urgent planetary issues, making its historical lessons strikingly relevant for today.

Themes

Science

Subjects

Science