More than 80 per cent of pandanus trees around Agnes Water and 1770 in central Queensland have died as a result of the leafhopper pest.
An estimated 10,000 trees have been destroyed, leading to beach erosion and impacts on local wildlife.
Joel Fostin, a pandanus dieback specialist, is calling on the Queensland Government to allocate funding for pest and weed management to help save the remaining pandanus.
A native wasp which preys on the leafhopper was introduced in the 1990s, but their numbers have declined because of drought.