Easter Island (Chilean territory), is a remote volcanic island in Polynesia. Its native name is Rapa Nui. It’s famed for archaeological sites, including nearly 900 monumental statues called moai, created by inhabitants during the 13th–16th centuries. The moai are carved human figures with oversize heads, often resting on massive stone pedestals called ahus. Ahu Tongariki has the largest group of upright moai (see picture above, taken by author)

The area is 163.6 km² and population: 7,750 (2017).

The island is dependent on two daily flights from continental Chile and its economy is  focused on tourism and tourism-related services.

This short article presents a quick resilience analysis of Easter Island and is based on the most recent available statistics (2009-2017). Data is not very abundant and the simple analysis presented herein is based on data from the following data source:

https://reportescomunales.bcn.cl/2017/index.php/Isla_de_Pascua

The analysis is based on 20 parameters which are listed in the chart below.

Based on the available data, our resilience analysis yields a high 87%, which corresponds to a four (out of five) star rating:

 

Resilience Rating: 87%

 

The impact of the various parameters on the above rating is depicted in the chart below – values are expressed in percentages.

 

 

The analysis suggests that the most important factors from a resilience and stability standpoint are:

Hoteles y gastronomia (hotels, gastronomy) – 12.8%

No. Impresas Pequeña (No. small enterprises) – 12.4%

No. Impresas Mediana (No. medium enterprises) – 12.1%

No. Impresas Micro (No. tiny enterprises) – 9.7%

These four factors alone account for 47% of the resilience of the island as represented by the available data. This means that it is key for the administration of the island to ensure that the above factors are ‘protected’ from sudden variations as they are the hubs of the system. Any major disruptions in these factors could have important consequences on the economy of the island.

The Complexity Map of the Island is shown below. Given the small amount of data, the map is shown for illustrative purposes only.

A more relevant and in-depth analysis may be performed with more granular data. As such data becomes available, the above analysis shall be updated.

Added on March 1-st, 2020. Integrating more data into the analysis provides a broader global picture. The large empty regions of the Complexity Map point to scarce data.

 

 

NOTE. The above analysis has been stimulated by the author’s recent trip to this magical, fascinating and exquisitely singular island. The nearly 900 magnificent moai statues, of extreme noblesse and elegance, reflect a unique sense of aesthetics of their creators. The island and its culture must be protected and conserved. We hope that the above analysis, which we plan to expand as we obtain new data, may deliver a small contribution in that respect.

J. Marczyk