There are different theories of the cause of the civilizational collapse of the Rapanui. It is agreed that the approximate time was near, within a century or so

There are different theories of the cause of the civilizational collapse of the Rapanui. It is agreed that the approximate time was near, within a century or so, of first contact with western explorers. So knowing nothing else, perhaps their poor stewardship resulted in collapse a couple hundred years before Europeans arrived, or perhaps their fate after first contact followed a pathway down that we know all too well.