The Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center and its nonprofit, Elepaio Social Services, held a blessing Monday morning at their new coconut nursery as they introduced a new initiative to save coconut tree species from the invasive coconut rhinoceros beetle.

The ceremony included the planting of about 260 coconut seedlings of 16 different species, said Niu­Now lead and co-founder Indrajit Gunasekara. However, the initiative plans to eventually oversee the planting of about 1,200 to 1,400 seeds.

“The coconut rhinoceros beetle are eating our adult palms and directly killing them, therefore erasing its progeny, which means extinction of a variety,” said Jesse Mikasobe-­Keali‘inohomoku, Elepaio Social Services indigenous food system manager. “So planting is a form of mitigation and a form of continuation.”

Waianae’s Pokai Bay was once home to a famous coconut grove called Ka Uluniu o Pokai, which Mikasobe-­Keali‘inohomoku said contained a species of coconut that was known for its sweet flavor. The species also was grown at the nearby Ka‘ala Farm, where nearly 100 to 200 seeds would be harvested each year from 2019.

However, in 2023, about a decade since the coconut rhinoceros beetle was introduced to Hawaii, only a single seed was harvested from the farm due to infestations, Mikasobe­-Keali‘inohomoku said.

“It’s super sad for us,” he said. “But we’re lucky that we took seeds in the past and we planted them throughout the island. So we know that the progeny of those specific varieties lives on.”

Alicia Higa, WCCHC director of health promotions and Elepaio CEO, said the organizations commit part of their work to addressing issues of food access in the community. However, the COVID-19 pandemic led them to begin looking into issues of food sovereignty and the importance of cultivating indigenous food sources, she said.

Additionally, the presence of coconut rhinoceros beetles in other agricultural food sources such as taro, banana trees and lauhala also have been increasing, adding to the sense of urgency, Higa said.

“While emergency feeding and dealing with that right now is important, it’s also equally as important to be working on the long-term solutions at the same time, because otherwise we’re going to get caught off guard,” Higa said. “If we don’t solve it now, it’ll wipe out the entire indigenous food system, and that is pretty scary for our Native people.”

So far, the initiative has included the collection of seed varieties that exist from Makaha to Nanakuli, said Mikasobe-­Keali‘inohomoku. Collected seeds were labeled and are being stored in WCCHC’s new coconut nursery, which is slated to become the largest in Hawaii, according to a WCCHC news release.

The seeds will be looked after until they are scheduled to be distributed to members of the community at WCCHC’s next Mauka to Makai event in September, where people will have the opportunity to learn about traditional methods of farming, Higa said.

From there, each plant’s growth will be monitored until new seeds are ready to be harvested and planted, said Mikasobe- Keali‘inohomoku.

As the initiative progresses, Mikasobe-­Keali‘inohomoku said, the public is also invited to donate seeds to the new nursery at the WCCHC Main Campus’ Pre-Recovery Pod, where a drop-off location will be set up in about two weeks. Meanwhile, he encourages the public to vocalize its support by asking legislators to allocate more funds toward coconut rhinoceros beetle control efforts.

“Your involvement is critical,” Mikasobe­-Keali‘inohomoku said. “And participation. If you have seed niu (coconut) and you want to place them within our nursery, we have a home here for you.”

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Linsey Dower covers ethnic and cultural affairs and is a corps member of Report for America, a national service organization that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues and communities.