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Easter Island, Chile 2003

Volcanic Hills, Rapa Nui

2003-12-02

Originally Rapa Nui had been covered with trees.  The Rapa Nui people cut them all down by around 1625 (?) and today the island is very barren, with prairie like terrain and volcanic hills here  and there.  It's far flatter than I expected.  Horses, llamas or Alpacas, sheep and goats graze on grass and hawks and birds are all around.  I saw fences across the island, but often the horses and other animals seemed to have no boundaries.

I don't know if removing the trees caused the ecosystem to change, but I find it hard to picture the island as shore to shore trees.......