Communities in Sonsorol and Fanna islands to the southernmost jurisdiction of the Republic of Palau, in essence, are moderately small compared to other communities within the islands considering the distance from the main island of Koror where most of the population resides. According to the to a report from a team that visited the islands in August of this year, the damage done by Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle (CRB) to coconut trees on Sonsorol is generally light, much less than is seen in the main islands of Palau. ?However,? as Dr, Miles remarked, ?it is clear that there are a lot of beetles on the island, and it would be good to take some simple actions to reduce the amount of damage.? But control of the Beetle must be initiated as soon as possible, stated the report by Dr. Miles.

CRB are not an indigenous insect on the islands and are considered an invasive species, to say the least. If left unchecked it will destroy the coconut plants and the negative effect to the cycle of life on these islands is just too damaging to even reflect on. However lesson learned from other invasive projects on the island demand an effort to make sure these insects are off altogether. Coconut trees have so many uses to the island people such as various building materials, food, drinks, producing fuels for fires to cook, etc?