In response to the devastating 2022 fires in the Rapa Nui Park, the United Nations Organization for Education, Science and Culture (UNESCO) made a detailed diagnosis of the damage to the archaeological pieces, concluding that short-term interventions to protect and preserve this site world renowned heritage.
The fires, which took place in October 2022, mainly affected the Rano Raraku site, known for being the quarry for the manufacture of the moai, the emblematic statues of Rapa Nui (also known as Easter Island, Chile).
According to the diagnosis, as a result of the fire, many archaeological assets were subjected to high temperatures, threatening their preservation. Likewise, other damage factors of diverse origin were found. Due to all these causes, there are serious alterations in 22 moaiwhich should be treated soon.
coordinated action
To address the crisis, the Unescoin collaboration with the Mau Henua indigenous community, government entities and civil society, initiated response actions to assess damage and develop a risk management plan for the Rano Raraku site that is part of the Chilean World Heritage site.
The UNESCO representative in Chile, Claudia Uribe, stressed the importance of coordinated action to protect the valuable heritage of the island.
“The proper conservation and management of this cultural legacy are essential for the Rapa Nui people and for humanity given its immense heritage value,” said Uribe.
The plan not only seeks to diagnose the state of conservation of the site after the fires, but also strengthen local capacities to prevent future disasters and respond in a coordinated and timely manner to any future calamity in order to protect the valuable cultural and archaeological assets of the site.
The diagnosis, prepared by a multidisciplinary team, was based on previous records made at Rano Raraku and established a methodology that allowed the evaluation of the 358 archaeological elements of the site on a numerical scale according to the extent and intensity of the alteration of the affected resources.
Various factors of deterioration
According to specialists, the agents of alteration include, in addition to fires, direct climatic, water, biological and anthropic factors.
Different symptoms of alteration were identified in the archaeological assets, such as color changes, erosion, presence of vegetation, lichens and deplacing. The diagnosis highlights that erosion caused by climatic and water factors is the most recurrent and harmful alteration, since it affects the shape and stylistic features of the moai.
The experts also emphasized the need to intervene in those archaeological assets with high levels of alteration in the short term, for which they proposed techniques to control biodeterioration, consolidation and waterproofing, as well as the implementation of measures to prevent and mitigate forest fires in the area.
