A "historic" reforestation program for Easter Island, Chile's territory in the middle of the Pacific, began this week with the planting of 2000,240 trees out of a total of 000,<>, with the aim of combating soil erosion and climate change, local authorities said.
At a cost of some 850,000 euros, this program described as "historic" will last for two years and will cover an area of about 10 km² of the 164 km² of the volcanic island.
Restoring the ecosystem
The project began on Thursday, July 27 in an area known for its eroded terrain. Despite the bad weather, more than 100 people, including tourists, participated in the planting of nearly 2000,<> trees. Launched with the participation of environmental organizations and public institutions, the program is funded by the government of the Chilean region of Valparaiso, on which the island depends.
First, it is a question of planting aitos, a species useful for soil recovery. Once they grow, native trees such as purao, as well as palms from Chile, will be introduced. The objective is to restore the ecosystem of this island located some 3500 km from the Chilean coast and 80% of whose surface is made up of degraded grasslands. More than 90% of the island's territory is affected by some degree of erosion and less than 5% is covered with trees. "Climate change was caused by us, we changed the behavior of nature," said Rodrigo Mundaca, regional governor of Valparaiso, at the event.
Different studies have shown that in antiquity there were forests of palm trees and other species, as well as shrubs and ferns in number, according to the National Forestry Corporation (Conaf) of the territory. However, before the arrival of the first European navigators in the eighteenth century, this vegetation suffered from overexploitation. The process worsened after 1866 with the introduction of animals such as rabbits, sheep, pigs, horses and cattle. Easter Island currently has 7750 inhabitants. It welcomes some 100,000 visitors each year. Of Polynesian culture, it is known worldwide for its impressive megaliths with a mysterious origin, the moai, classified as World Heritage by Unesco.