Maui and Lānaʻi may be next in line for targeted protections from coconut rhinoceros beetles after residents and county leaders pressed state officials to act.

The Lahaina Community Land Trust has asked the Board of Agriculture and Biosecurity to adopt stronger safeguards against the invasive pest at its meeting later this month, and on Tuesday the Maui County Council unanimously approved a resolution formally urging the department to move forward.

Molokaʻi made a similar appeal to secure interim rules last year as one of the few islands without an infestation. Residents statewide have grown frustrated with what they view as a reactive approach by the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity as new hotspots emerge and fears rise over wider spread.

“The burden should not fall upon Maui communities to prove infestation after the fact,” land trust treasurer Kapali Keahi told the board in June. “Every month of delay allows opportunities for the CRB to spread.”

Agency staff and the board have not deemed the recent detections on Maui and Lānaʻi, about six beetles since April, to be an emergency. Officials said they will collaborate with community members, a decision that has effectively delayed new rules by at least a month.

Once the department and Lahaina Community Land Trust finalize draft interim rules, the board will decide whether to adopt them. If approved, the one-year rules would likely restrict inbound movement of plant materials that can harbor beetles or larvae, mirroring Molokaʻi’s interim regulations.

“We need to plug the holes right now,” said Autumn Ness, the land trust’s executive director. “This is an imminent threat.”

For years the department has struggled to implement similar rules for coconut rhinoceros beetles and other invasive species, including little fire ants. Plant Quarantine Manager Jonathan Ho said dedicated rulemaking staff would help the agency be less reactive.

The department has also raised concerns about impacts to plant sellers reliant on interisland commerce. But communities say reluctance to regulate runs counter to farmers’ top concerns about invasive pests.

“It’s silly that it falls into the hands of civilians and local community organizations and nonprofits to actually do the job of this state department,” said Jodie Rosam, a plant program specialist with Hawaiʻi Wildlife Fund.

Emergency criteria and coconut rhinoceros beetles

The denial of Maui and Lānaʻi’s initial request has prompted questions about how the department defines an emergency. The agency has yet to use emergency powers granted last year in a multimillion-dollar bill aimed at curbing growing pest populations.

Staff told the biosecurity board that neither island’s situation met the emergency threshold, noting that similar rules have not kept beetles from reaching Molokaʻi and that the pest has been in Hawaiʻi for roughly a decade, largely on Oʻahu.

“It’s almost like they forget that our islands individually have the greatest biosecurity barrier known to science, that’s the ocean,” Ness said. “They’re willingly and knowingly poking holes in that fence.”

The department also questioned a request from Lahaina Community Land Trust to exempt the state’s rare plant program, which works to protect loulu palms, an endemic species targeted by the beetle. State botanist Matt Keir called the beetle the biggest threat to loulu he has seen in 25 years.

Balancing protections with commerce is another challenge, Ho said, adding that any decision that limits movement of goods sets a high bar. He said the agency needs a clearer process to help the board justify decisions to the public, and emphasized that denying the emergency request was not made lightly.

County leaders remain skeptical. Council member Tamara Paltin, who introduced the resolution, said she wants accountability from state biosecurity leaders and Gov. Josh Green for the pest’s spread.

The resolution, which will be sent to key leaders including the governor, urges immediate action to contain the beetles and warns of long-term cultural, ecological and economic harm that could cost millions to address. The county is hosting a two-part town hall on the beetles Thursday and next Monday.

‘Much more to do’ as rules roll out on Hawaiʻi Island

In March, the biosecurity board approved a petition to quarantine parts of the Kona coast on Hawaiʻi island, where coconut rhinoceros beetles have taken hold and threaten to spread.

The interim rules include a compliance program that requires nurseries and agricultural businesses to train staff in mitigation best practices. Host materials that move outside the quarantine area must follow compliance agreements or face fines up to $10,000.

The Big Island Invasive Species Committee has trained staff from 16 businesses, but only eight have obtained compliance agreements so far due to paperwork miscommunications. Program manager Franny Kinslow Brewer said those operations represent only a fraction of businesses in the quarantine zone.

Keahole Agriculture Park, operated by the state agriculture agency, houses about 40 businesses. There are also numerous landscaping firms and big-box retailers, including Home Depot, Lowe’s and Walmart. Despite the rules taking effect July 1, enforcement has been delayed.

Given staffing shortages, the program will rely heavily on trust, Ho said, comparing the approach to how speed limits are policed.

It is not a foolproof plan, said Keith Weiser, deputy commander of CRB Response at the University of Hawaiʻi, but it is a way to slow spread amid limited capacity.

“There’s much more to do than we have the capacity for,” Weiser said.

Hawaiʻi County Council members and state lawmakers have also urged the governor to improve agency performance. Rep. Jeanné Kapela, whose district stretches from Captain Cook on the Kona coast to Kurtistown, said there is widespread fear about the beetle’s potential to damage commercial, agricultural, environmental and cultural resources. The governor’s office referred questions to the department.

Rosam said she has seen coconut rhinoceros beetle damage to endemic loulu palms in Kona and signs of beetles moving upland, where more genetically significant trees could be at risk.

Recent letters to the governor included specific requests: better public communication about the rules, clear notice that compliance is mandatory, prompt enforcement and assigning a dedicated biosecurity staffer to oversee the program.

“I sent that letter to try to push the department,” Kapela said, “but also to educate community members because there’s certainly more that we can all be doing.”