Easter Island is famously one of the remotest places in the world. It is also famous for its huge statues. They are both relics of and key components of one of the most haunting of tales of environmental destruction. The inhabitants of Easter Island arrived by boat and created a unique culture, of which the erection of their statues was a key part. But this culture was not sustainable. It required the use of large quantities of wood, and over a few centuries all the wood was used up.
