A new study published in the Journal of Cultural Heritage indicates that rising sea levels could push powerful seasonal waves into Easter Island‘s 15 iconic moai statues, posing a significant threat to the island’s cultural heritage. “Sea level rise is real,” said Noah Paoa, lead author of the study and a doctoral student at the University of Hawaii at Manoa’s School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology. “It’s not a distant threat.”
The study used computer models to simulate future wave impacts under various sea level rise scenarios and overlaid the results with maps of cultural sites to pinpoint which places could be inundated in the coming decades. The findings show that waves could reach Ahu Tongariki, the largest ceremonial platform on the island, as early as 2080. The site, home to the 15 towering moai, draws tens of thousands of visitors each year and is a cornerstone of the island’s tourism economy.
Beyond its economic value, Ahu Tongariki is deeply woven into Rapa Nui’s cultural identity. It lies within Rapa Nui National Park, which encompasses much of the island and is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The roughly 900 moai statues across the island were built by the Rapa Nui people between the 10th and 16th centuries to honor important ancestors and chiefs.
The threat to the moai statues is not unprecedented. In 1960, a massive earthquake off the coast of Chile sent a tsunami surging across the Pacific, striking Rapa Nui and damaging some of the moai. The monument was restored in the 1990s. According to UNESCO, about 50 World Heritage sites are highly exposed to coastal flooding, and climate change is the biggest threat to UNESCO’s World Heritage marine sites.
Possible defenses for Ahu Tongariki range from armor-plating the coastline and building breakwaters to relocating the monuments. Paoa hopes that the findings will bring these conversations about now, rather than after irreversible damage. “It’s best to look ahead and be proactive instead of reactive to the potential threats,” he said.
The study’s conclusions echo a wider reality: cultural heritage sites worldwide are increasingly endangered by rising seas. As the global community continues to grapple with the challenges of climate change, preserving cultural heritage sites like Easter Island’s moai statues will require proactive and coordinated efforts.