Study Warns: Rising Sea Levels Could Threaten Easter Island’s Moai Statues by 2080

 LONDON, AUGUST 14 – Rising sea levels could reach Easter Island’s famous moai statues by the end of the century, a new study warns. The research, published in the Journal of Cultural Heritage, also highlights that about 50 other cultural sites on the island are at risk from flooding.

“Sea level rise is real,” said Noah Paoa, the study’s lead author and a doctoral student at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. “It’s not a distant threat.” Paoa, who is from Easter Island (known locally as Rapa Nui), and his team created a detailed digital model of the island’s eastern coastline. They ran simulations to predict how waves could impact the shore under various sea level scenarios and mapped the results against key cultural sites.

The findings suggest that by 2080, waves could reach Ahu Tongariki, the island’s largest ceremonial platform, home to 15 iconic moai statues. The site attracts tens of thousands of visitors each year and is a vital part of the island’s tourism economy. Beyond its economic value, Ahu Tongariki holds deep cultural significance for the Rapa Nui people. The platform is located within Rapa Nui National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The moai statues, about 900 in total across the island, were carved by the Rapa Nui people between the 10th and 16th centuries to honor important ancestors and chiefs. The threat of waves isn’t entirely new: a 1960 tsunami, caused by a massive earthquake off Chile, damaged some moai, though the monuments were restored in the 1990s.

Experts warn that Rapa Nui is not alone. Rising seas threaten cultural heritage sites worldwide. A UNESCO report last month found about 50 World Heritage sites are highly vulnerable to coastal flooding. A UNESCO spokesperson said climate change is the biggest threat to marine heritage sites, noting that nearly three-quarters of low-lying coastal sites in the Mediterranean and Africa face erosion and flooding due to rising sea levels.

Possible ways to protect Ahu Tongariki include reinforcing the coastline, building breakwaters, or even relocating the statues. Paoa hopes the study sparks early action.

“It’s best to look ahead and be proactive instead of reactive to potential threats,” he said.

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