In 2025, the state put into place strict but temporary import restrictions meant to keep the invasive coconut rhinoceros beetle out of Moloka‘i.
Those restrictions expired in September — and Molokaʻi residents have been fighting to keep them in place.
Some concerned residents flew to Oʻahu to ask the state Department of Agriculture & Biosecurity to renew the restrictions, rather than relax them.
HPR spoke with Kunani Nihipali, who helped spearhead the original community petition that led to the restrictions.
“About a year ago, we initiated an interim petition that was unprecedented, whereby we were able to prohibit any kind of materials that may introduce to our island the possibility of eggs or larvae or any kind of live CRB that we see going on on all of the neighbor islands,” Nihipali told HPR.
“Our situation is that culturally, historically, the tree of life has been all niu,” he explained. “You plant a niu tree with the birth of a child, and that niu grows up, and it provides for the family.”
“And that devastation generationally is going to continue even worse if the CRB gets on our island. Because it's not just the niu; it's all the other plants, native plants, that is going to be devastated as well.”
In late September, a Board of Agriculture and Biosecurity committee recommended new interim rules that will be decided upon by the full board.
This story aired on The Conversation on Sept. 30, 2026. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. Jinwook Lee adapted this story for the web.
