A state of emergency has been declared in Vanuatu not because of a natural disaster or civil unrest, but because of a beetle.

Key points: The beetle was first found in May on the north-west coast of Efate island

The beetle was first found in May on the north-west coast of Efate island The state of emergency allows authorities to set up restriction zones around infected areas

The state of emergency allows authorities to set up restriction zones around infected areas Coconut rhinoceros beetles decimated coconut and oil plantations in parts of Solomon Islands

The coconut rhinoceros beetle has the potential to devastate the country's coconut industry, as well as the livelihoods of the tens of thousands of people who depend upon it.

The pest was first found on the north-west coast of Efate island in May, not far from the capital Port Vila, and has since been found at sites several kilometres away.

Copra — dried coconut flesh — is one of Vanuatu's biggest export products.

The beetles damage coconut palms by boring into the centre of the crown to feed on sap.

It is believed the coconut rhinoceros beetle may have come from Asia. ( Wikimedia Commons )

The declaration of a state of emergency has allowed authorities to set up restriction zones around infected areas.

"We've getting more grubs collected, we're getting more breeding sites destroyed, we're getting more numbers of adult beetles," Leisongi Bulesulu, a plant health officer from the Department of Biosecurity, told the ABC.

A fungus used for biological control is also being grown in a laboratory and will be placed into artificial breeding sites to eradicate the pests.

Both grubs and fully grown beetles are collected and destroyed. ( Facebook: Ministry of Agriculture Vanuatu )

"The fungus is going to infect the beetle, the gut, and that it is how it is going to kill the beetle," Ms Bulesulu said.

It is believed the beetle may have originated in Asia, but it has previously decimated coconut and oil palm plantations in parts of Solomon Islands after its arrival there in 2015.

Dyson Wilson, general manager of Vanuatu Copra and Cocoa Exports, said the big risk is if the coconut rhinoceros beetle spreads from Efate to other islands.

"If it spreads to the north and centre of Vanuatu where the main producing areas for copra are, that means it's going to be really destructive for our coconuts," he said.