The Archaeological Institute of America has selected Easter Island's Rapa Nuisculptures in Chile as its second site preservation project. With a $94,000 grant from the organization's AIA Site Preservation Task Force, the Easter Island Statue Project will develop stone preservation techniques to arrest the rapid deterioration of these statues as a result of the fragile nature of their volcanic stone, climate change and tourism. The Easter Island Statue Project is directed by UCLA archaeologist Jo Anne Van Tilburg and co-directed by Cristin Arivalo Pakarati.

http://www.archaeological.org/webinfo.php?page=10490