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Rapa Nui National Park ( es, Parque nacional Rapa Nui) is a national park and UNESCO World Heritage Site located on
Easter Island Easter Island ( rap, Rapa Nui; es, Isla de Pascua) is an island and special territory of Chile in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, at the southeasternmost point of the Polynesian Triangle in Oceania. The island is most famous for its nearly ...
,
Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
. Rapa Nui is the
Polynesia Polynesia () "many" and νῆσος () "island"), to, Polinisia; mi, Porinihia; haw, Polenekia; fj, Polinisia; sm, Polenisia; rar, Porinetia; ty, Pōrīnetia; tvl, Polenisia; tkl, Polenihia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania, made up of ...
n name of Easter Island; its Spanish name is Isla de Pascua. The island is located in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, at the southeastern extremity of the Polynesian Triangle. The island was taken over by Chile in 1888. Its fame and World Heritage status arise from the 887 extant stone statues known by the name " moai", whose creation is attributed to the early
Rapa Nui people The Rapa Nui (Rapa Nui: , Spanish: ) are the Polynesian peoples indigenous to Easter Island. The easternmost Polynesian culture, the descendants of the original people of Easter Island make up about 60% of the current Easter Island population an ...
who inhabited the island starting between 300 and 1200 AD. Much of the island has been declared as Rapa Nui National Park which, on 22 March 1996, UNESCO designated a World Heritage Site under cultural criteria (i), (iii), & (v). Rapa Nui National Park is now under the administrative control of the Ma´u Henua Polynesian Indigenous Community, which is the first autonomous institute on the island. The indigenous Rapa Nui people have regained authority over their ancestral lands and are in charge of the management, preservation and protection of their patrimony. On the first of December 2017, the ex-President Michelle Bachelet returned ancestral lands in the form of the Rapa Nui National Park to the indigenous people. For the first time in history, the revenue generated by the National Park is invested in the island and used to conserve the natural heritage.


Geography

Geographically isolated, the island forms the eastern geographic and cultural boundary of Polynesia. It is west of Chile, about east of Pitcairn Island (the nearest human habitat) and is the most remote inhabited spot on Earth. The park is triangular in shape and has a length of and a width of . It is home to an extinct megalithic culture which is seen in the form of edifices of huge statues called " moai" made out of volcanic rocks. The topography includes volcanoes and a rugged coastline. Its elevation varies from sea level to . It has fresh water lakes, volcanic craters and a coastline which is subject to erosion.


Climate

The park experiences a warm sub-tropical climate with southeast trade winds from October to April. The annual average rainfall is , with rains occurring during the winter season. The average temperature varies from in winter to in summer.


History

The
Rapa Nui people The Rapa Nui (Rapa Nui: , Spanish: ) are the Polynesian peoples indigenous to Easter Island. The easternmost Polynesian culture, the descendants of the original people of Easter Island make up about 60% of the current Easter Island population an ...
settled the island some time between 300 and 1200 CE. The park was created by the Chilean Government in 1935. The native people were confined to a reserve area just outside the capital city of Hanga Roa and the rest of the land was leased to sheep ranchers. The movement for independence was started in 1964 and following this the lease for sheep farming was terminated during the 1980s and the entire island was declared a historic park. The population of the island which was 2,770 in 1972 rose to 3,792 by 2002, mostly concentrated in the capital. The island was brought under the administrative control of Chile in 1888. Its fame and World Heritage status arise from the 887 extant stone statues known as "moai". Much of the island has been included in the Rapa Nui National Park. On 22 March 1996 UNESCO designated it a World Heritage Site of cultural significance under criteria (i), (iii), & (v). In October 2022, a forest fire swept through the park whilst causing “irreparable” damage to wetlands and the moai statues within the archaeological site.


Culture

The moai in the park are of varying height from 2 to 20 metres (6 to 65 ft). The volcanic rock formations quarried for sculpting are a distinctive yellow-brown
volcanic tuff Tuff is a type of rock made of volcanic ash ejected from a vent during a volcanic eruption. Following ejection and deposition, the ash is lithified into a solid rock. Rock that contains greater than 75% ash is considered tuff, while rock co ...
found only at the Ranu Raraku on the southeast side of the island. Some of the moai were also carved from red
scoria Scoria is a pyroclastic, highly vesicular, dark-colored volcanic rock that was ejected from a volcano as a molten blob and cooled in the air to form discrete grains or clasts.Neuendorf, K.K.E., J.P. Mehl, Jr., and J.A. Jackson, eds. (2005) '' ...
. The ceremonial shrines where they are erected for offering worship are known as "''ahu''". Of impressive size and form, they are normally built close to the coast and parallel to it. Many unfinished moai are also found in the quarries. The production and transportation of the 887 statues are considered remarkable creative and physical feats. The moai have been under restoration since 1950. The period between 1837 and 1864 was a critical time when, for reasons that remain unknown, all the standing statues were toppled (probably during the tribal wars), although with little damage. Subsequently they were retrieved and returned to their original positions during the period of restoration with international assistance. The moai represented a clan's "most revered forebears who were believed to bestow ‘mana’ on living leaders". The park also has a few petroglyphs and paintings. The Birdman cult which replaced the moai cult worship was concentrated in
Orongo Orongo is a stone village and ceremonial center at the southwestern tip of Rapa Nui (Easter Island). It consists of a collection of low, sod-covered, windowless, round-walled buildings with even lower doors positioned on the high south-westerly t ...
at a ceremonial site called Mata Ngarau. The location is at an elevation of , on a narrow ridge between the ocean, and the deep crater of Rano Kau volcano, which last erupted about 150,000 to 210,000 years ago. The earliest inhabitants of the island called it "''Te Pito o TeHenua''" (the navel/end of the world). The first European to discover the island was Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen on Easter day, 1722. As a result, he named it "Easter Island". He observed that the inhabitants were of three groups: "dark skinned, red skinned, and very pale skinned people with red hair". In the 19th century, a Tahitian visitor who thought the island resembled Rapa but was bigger (''nui'' means big), gave it the Polynesian name "''Rapa Nui''". In Chile, the island is called ''"Isla De Pascua"''
Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
for Easter Island.


Ecology

As the island was isolated there are many endemic species of animals and plants. The park is under IUCN Management Category II in southeastern Polynesia. Its biogeographic and ecological history has undergone a sea change from what existed in the ancient days when there were palm trees and a broad leaf forest. Before the Polynesians settled here in the 4th century, the island had an extensive forest cover of trees, shrubs, ferns, and grasses. The island is now almost completely grass-covered with only a few ornamental trees and shrubs scattered over the island.


Flora

Of the 150 recorded plant species, 45 are endemic. However, the island is largely covered by grass with three endemic species. In ancient times the only species of tree found here were ''
Sophora toromiro ''Sophora toromiro'', commonly known as toromiro, is a species of flowering tree in the legume family, Fabaceae, that is endemic to Easter Island. History Heavy deforestation had eliminated most of the island's forests by the first half of the ...
'' and ''
Paschalococos ''Paschalococos disperta'', the Rapa Nui palm or Easter Island palm, formerly '' Jubaea disperta,'' was the native cocoid palm species of Easter Island. It disappeared from the pollen record circa AD 1650. Taxonomy It is not known whether the sp ...
''. The toromiro tree is now extinct on the island and ''Paschalococos'' is a species that could be related to the Chilean palm, ''
Jubaea chilensis ''Jubaea'' is a genus of palms with one species, ''Jubaea chilensis'' or ''Jubaea spectabilis'', commonly known in English as the Chilean wine palm or Chile cocopalm, and palma chilena in Spanish. It is native to southwestern South America and i ...
''. In the steppe areas of the island, the vegetation consists mostly of species of ''
Austrostipa ''Austrostipa'' is a primarily Australian genus of plants in the grass family, commonly called speargrass. The genus includes species formerly included in the genus ''Stipa.'' All known species are native to Australia, most of them found nowh ...
'' and ''
Nassella ''Nassella'', or needlegrass, is a New World genus of over 100 perennial bunchgrasses found from North America through South America. The Latin word ''nassa'' refers to "a basket with a narrow neck". It is usually considered segregate from the g ...
''. Other species recorded are of introduced varieties. Among the shrubs, the ''hau hau'' ('' Triumfetta semitriloba'') is still present but '' Coprosma spp.'', is not seen on the island. The wood of the now extinct Jubaea palm was used to make devices for transporting the huge stone moai statues. It has been established by carbon dating that this species of tree existed on the island till the 17th century. Ferns are indigenous to Rapa Nui, and four of the 15 species noted are endemic: '' Doodia paschalis'', '' Polystichum fuentesii'', '' Elaphoglossum skottsbergii'', and '' Thelypteris espinosae''. '' Triumfetta semitriloba'' which was considered an extinct species on the island was located in 1988. According to a recent report (1991), apart from 166 introduced species of plants, 46 indigenous plant species including nine endemic species have been recorded. Also noted in the lower level of the Rano Raraku crater are tall bulrushes like totora that were probably introduced by seafarers from South America.


Fauna

The island's only mammals are rodents and
carnivoran Carnivora is a monophyletic order of placental mammals consisting of the most recent common ancestor of all cat-like and dog-like animals, and all descendants of that ancestor. Members of this group are formally referred to as carnivorans, ...
s. The reptiles recorded are three species of
marine turtles Sea turtles (superfamily Chelonioidea), sometimes called marine turtles, are reptiles of the order Testudines and of the suborder Cryptodira. The seven existing species of sea turtles are the flatback, green, hawksbill, leatherback, loggerhead, ...
and two terrestrial
lizard Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. The group is paraphyletic since it excludes the snakes and Amphisbaenia althou ...
s, '' Lepidodactylus lugubris'' and '' Ablepharus boutoui poecilopleurus''. Four bird species - three terrestrial and one marine - are found on the island. These are: '' Fregata nubor'', red-tailed tropicbird (''Phaethon rubricauda''), and
Kermadec petrel The Kermadec petrel (''Pterodroma neglecta'') is a species of gadfly petrel in the family Procellariidae. It is 38 cm long with a wingspan of 100 cm. It is polymorphic, with light, dark and intermediate morphs known. It eats squid, fi ...
. Three micro- lepidopteran species are reported in the park which have no links to South American species; one of these is '' Asymphorodes trichogramma.''


Conservation

Invasive plants have been introduced for livestock grazing. Forest fires are a common feature, threatening the remaining native plant species. Archaeological investigations indicate the terrain is subject to damage from erosion and the influx of tourists. Though declared a national park in 1935, the first management plan (by CONAF) was not implemented until the 1980s. As a result of inadequate funding, conservation was initially at a low level leading international conservation agencies to provide financial and technical support. Chile responded by setting up a Rapa Nui Monuments Board which enabled actions to be taken independent of the government. The World Monument Fund started working here in 1968 with UNESCO later recognizing the site as a World Heritage site of cultural importance. With an airline operating (the airport built in 1965 was expanded in 1985) between Chile and the island, more scientists have become interested in island's heritage, undertaking research on various aspects of its now defunct culture. The Rapa Nui National Park is now under the administrative control of the Ma´u Henua Polynesian Indigenous Community, which is the first autonomous institute on the island. The indigenous Rapa Nui people have regained authority over their ancestral lands and are in charge of the management, preservation and protection of their patrimony. On the first of December 2017, the ex-President Michelle Bachelet returned ancestral lands in the form of the Rapa Nui National Park to the indigenous people. For the first time in history, the revenue generated by the National Park is invested in the island and used to conserve the natural heritage. Its conservation value is dictated by the archaeological investigations of the important intangible value of its cultural heritage. The management plan drawn by the park administration is oriented towards these archaeological investigations. Zoning of the park has been done accordingly under the classification of intangible zone, primitive zone, extensive use zone, service and CONAF (1976) zone and special use zone. A harmonious blend of conservation activities in the reserve areas (including monoliths and structures) with agricultural activities, livestock grazing, orchards and traditional fishing sites has evolved in the integrated management plans for the island.


Sister parks

*
Teide National Park Teide National Park ( es, Parque nacional del Teide, ) is a national park located in Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain. The national park is centered on Mount Teide, the highest mountain of Spain (3,718 meters high) in addition, the highest volca ...
( Tenerife, Spain).Cooperación internacional entre parques nacionales


Gallery

File:Rapa Nui, Rano Raraku.JPG, Monument in Rapa Nui File:Parque Nacional Rapa Nui.jpg, Rapa Nui, Easter Island File:Moai Easter Island geod0095.jpg, Tukuturi, a moai at Rano Raraku File:Rano Raraku quarry.jpg, Outer slope of the Rano Raraku volcano, the quarry of the moai with many uncompleted statues. File:Rano-Raraku-from-South.jpg, Rano Raraku volcano from the south


References


Bibliography

* * * * * {{authority control Easter Island Archaeological sites in Chile Archaeological sites in Easter Island Protected areas established in 1935 Protected areas of Valparaíso Region National parks of Chile World Heritage Sites in Chile 1995 establishments in Easter Island