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Rising sea levels could erase one of the planet’s iconic heritage sites

For hundreds of years, the sculpting of giant ancestor stone statues was central to Easter Island’s civilization. The largest statue in this photograph is 9 metres tall and weighs 86 tonnes — For hundreds of years, the sculpting of giant ancestor stone statues was central to Easter Island’s civilization. The largest statue in this photograph is 9 metres tall and weighs 86 tonnes (Wikimedia Commons)

A new study warns that rising sea levels could threaten Easter Island's iconic moai statues and other cultural sites by the end of this century.
The research, published in the Journal of Cultural Heritage, specifically highlights that the 15 monumental figures at Ahu Tongariki could be inundated by powerful seasonal waves.
Lead author Noah Paoa and his team used a high-resolution "digital twin" of the island's coastline to model future wave impacts, predicting waves could reach Ahu Tongariki as early as 2080.
The site at Ahu Tongariki, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is vital for the island's tourism economy and cultural identity, attracting tens of thousands of visitors annually.
The study urges proactive measures such as coastal armoring, breakwaters, or even relocating the monuments to prevent irreversible damage to these globally significant heritage sites.

Iconic Easter Island statues could be gone in 60 years, study warns — In full