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On the hills of Haiti, only two percent of the forests are left.
海地山坡上的树林只剩下2％。
Stripped bare, the soil no longer absorbs the rainwater.
裸露的土壤无法吸收雨水。
With no vegetation and no roots to reinforce them,nothing holds the soils back.
没有植物和根茎的加固,土壤被雨冲走。
The rainwater washes them down the hillsides as far as the sea.
雨水把它们从山坡上冲进大海。
Erosion impoverishes the quality of the soils,reducing their suitability for agriculture.
雨水侵蚀令土壤贫瘠,不宜耕种。
In some parts of Madagascar, the erosion is spectacular.
在马达加斯加雨水侵蚀景像非常壮观。
Whole hillsides bear deep gashes hundreds of meters wide.
山坡布满数百米宽的深坑。
Thin and fragile, soil is made by living matter.
土壤由生命物质构成 薄而脆弱。
With erosion, the fine layer of humus,which took thousands of years to form, disappears.
经过数千年形成的,一层腐植土因雨水侵蚀而消失。
Here's one theory of the story of the Rapa Nui,the inhabitants of Easter Island,that could perhaps give us pause for thought.
复活节岛的故事和岛上居民的遭遇或许值得我们反思。
Living on the most isolated island in the world,the Rapa Nui exploited their resources until there was nothing left.
复活节岛是世上最偏僻的岛屿。岛上居民把资源开发殆尽。
Their civilization did not survive.
他们的文明已不存在。
On these lands stood the highest palm trees in the world.
这里曾矗立世上最高的棕榈树。
They have disappeared.
如今荡然无存。
The Rapa Nui chopped them all down for lumber.
当地人把树变木材。
They then had to face widespread soil erosion.
导致大量水土流失。
The Rapa Nui could no longer go fishing.
当地人无法再出海捕鱼。
There were no trees to build canoes.
因为已无树木用来做独木舟。
And yet the Rapa Nui formed one of the most brilliant civilizations in the Pacific.
但复活岛人曾建立太平洋最耀眼的文明。
Innovative farmers, sculptors, exceptional navigators,they were caught in a vise of overpopulation and dwindling resources.
富有创造力的农夫 雕塑家和杰出的航海家。如今却在人口过剩、资源减少的夹缝中挣扎。
They experienced social unrest, revolts and famine.
结果酿成社会动荡,叛乱和饥荒。
