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As the article points out Easter Island is isolated this makes introduction of new animals and plants more difficult then on a continent. If you wiped out all life in am ecologicly diverse area the size of Easter Island on a continent weeds common to gardens in that area would quickly invade slower growing plants and animals would eventually reinhabit. However if you made the area isolated enough that it was difficult for life to get to that area then the rate of repopulation would be greatly reduced and their is a possibility that many of the same plants and animals may never reach that area. Also on a continent there is more room to spread out this allows for less strain on the resources of any particular area.