OREANDA-NEWS. Easter Island residents voted against the return of tourists. They were denied access to the island 1.5 years ago. It is noted that tourists are not recommended to visit the island. However, the results of the referendum are not binding.

Earlier, scientists at Binghamton University (USA) refuted the myth that the collapse of the population of Easter Island residents was due to the mass felling of trees. Using a computer model, anthropologists found out that the local population grew steadily in the XII-XIII centuries, and when Europeans came to the island in 1722, their numbers either stabilized or decreased.

According to the results of Bayesian calculation (a form of statistical modeling), scientists have not seen evidence that deforestation led to the collapse of the population. On the contrary, gardens appeared in place of the disappeared trees and agriculture began to develop. In addition, the presence of fresh coastal waters helped residents survive periods of drought.

For the first time people settled Easter Island at the beginning of the XIII century, and Europeans arrived there only in 1722. It was believed that the Rapa Nui culture came to an end around 1600, and the Europeans who arrived on the island found an already destroyed social society.