Africa warned over locust swarms

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Countries in north and west Africa have been warned to be on alert for an outbreak of locusts, which devastated Mauritania two years ago.

Locusts had been found in Mauritania, and were laying eggs that were expected to hatch in the next 10 days, said the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation.

It warned Algeria, Mali, Morocco and Senegal to step up monitoring and to prepare to treat any outbreaks quickly.

"We are taking it very seriously," FAO official Keith Cressman told the BBC.

He said that while locust infestations were not uncommon in the area at this time of year, they must be dealt with or they could develop into the devastating swarms seen in 2004.

They swept across north and west Africa, leaving 60% of Mauritania's population - 400,000 people - needing food aid.

The FAO said the outbreak would offer the chance to test a new environmentally friendly pesticide which uses a natural fungus which kills locusts within one to three weeks.

Desert locusts breed rapidly, maturing in just three weeks, and are capable of travelling up to 100km (60 miles) a day.

Locusts can eat their own weight in food every day, which means a single swarm can consume as much food as several thousand people.


BBC NEWS | World | Africa | Africa warned over locust swarms

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Mr. Said Barket, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, stated that Algeria was ready to face the migratory locusts’ invasion, about which the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warned last Wednesday. Mr. Barket said that Algeria is able to treat 600 thousand hectares of invaded areas daily.

Outside the plenary session held in the National People’s Assembly, Mr. Barked confirmed that the Southern Wilayas are in a state of alert to face a possible invasion, which was declared immediately after seeing swarms of locusts in Mauritania and some areas in Tindouf. He expressed the readiness of Algeria to give a hand to the locust-affected countries and prevent the Algerian Sahara from being invaded.

The FAO had already warned, in a statement, of having discovered considerable hotbeds of desert locusts in the west of Africa. It also warned Algeria and other countries in the Sahel Sahara about the serious situation and called for an emergent move to put an end to the serious widespread plague of desert locusts. It may be recalled that combating such a phenomenon requested a budget of $17 billion last year.

Agriculture and Rural Development Minister: Algeria is ready to face the threat of desert locusts

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Algeria menaced by desert locust

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yuck.. those things look hideous

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"...There was a steady decline in locust populations during December in previously infested areas in northwest Mauritania and Western Sahara. Ground control operations were conducted against small hopper bands, treating 20 ha in Mauritania and 770 ha in Western Sahara. Control teams also treated about 1,000 ha of locust concentrations in one area of northern Mali. In Niger, solitarious and transiens hoppers and adults formed small groups in Tamesna where ground control teams treated more than 1,800 ha. As vegetation is drying out and there was no significant rain during December, another generation of breeding is unlikely to occur and, instead, only low numbers of adults are expected to persist in the above-mentioned areas. Some of these adults could move north towards the Draa Valley in Morocco, to northern Mauritania and to southern Algeria during periods of warm southerly winds..."

General Situation during December 2006, forecast until mid-February 2007

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The Desert Locust situation remained very serious during February along the Red Sea coastal plains near the Sudan/Eritrea border and on the northwest coast of Somalia. In both areas, there were reports of hopper bands and swarms forming. More rains in March could cause the situation to deteriorate further and threaten the in Sudan and Eritrea. All efforts should be made to monitor the developing and potentially dangerous situation carefully.

Western Region

The situation remained calm in the region during February. Limited breeding occurred in northwest Mauritaniaand in central Algeriawhere low numbers of solitarious locusts were present. Isolated adults were also present in parts of the spring breeding areas along the southern side of the Atlas Mountains in Morocco and western Algeria. During the forecast period, small-scale breeding is likely to take place in both countries causing locust numbers to increase slightly. Elsewhere, isolated adults may be present in parts of northern Maliand Niger. No significant developments are expected.

Central Region

Although no reports were received from Eritreaduring February, survey and control operations were probably in progress against small groups, bands and swarms forming on the northern Red Sea coast. Several swarms were reported in adjacent coastal areas in Sudan where they laid eggs that started hatching by the end of the month and the resulting hoppers were forming small bands. Aerial and ground control operations treated 2,700 ha in Sudan. Local breeding occurred on the coast in Saudi Arabia and Yemen, and barrier treatments were undertaken on nearly 2,000 ha in one area in Saudi Arabia. The situation in Sudan and Eritrea is worrisome because breeding conditions continued to remain favourable during February. More rain in March would allow further breeding in which case locusts would rapidly increase and hopper bands and swarms would form and threaten the Region. Elsewhere, unconfirmed reports indicated that locusts increased on the northwest coast in Somaliawhere small hopper bands and swarms may be present. FAO missions will visit Eritrea and Somalia in the coming weeks to clarify the situation. A Green Muscle® biopesticide trial will be carried out in Sudan in March.

General Situation during February 2007, forecast until mid-April 2007

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The Desert Locust situation continued to remain very serious during March in the Central Region. Hopper bands and swarms formed along the Red Sea coastal plains near the Sudan/Eritrea border and to a lesser extent on the northwest coast of Somalia. Some swarms also formed from local breeding on the Red Sea coast in Saudi Arabia. Control operations are underway in Eritrea, Sudan and Saudi Arabia. As currently infested areas are drying out, any swarms that are not controlled are expected to move into the Eritrean Highlands and the interior of Sudan, and to the interior of Saudi Arabia and Yemen where good rains fell in March. A few swarms could continue to Baluchistan in Iran and western Pakistan where widespread rains fell recently. All efforts should be made to monitor the developing and potentially dangerous situation carefully.

Western Region. The situation remained calm in the region during March. Limited breeding continued in one area of northwest Mauritania. Scattered adults were present in parts of western Algeria and western Libya. If swarms originating from current infestations on the Red Sea coast move towards the interior of Sudan, then there is a slight risk that they may continue towards the Western Region in May. FAO will keep countries well informed in advance.

Central Region. Hopper bands continued to form on the Red Sea coast between Massawa, Eritrea and Tokar, Sudan during March. By the end of the month, most of the hoppers had were forming along the border within an area of about 3,000 km2. Local breeding continued on the central Red Sea coast in Saudi Arabia. At the end of the month, a few small swarms formed and some of the adults started to move towards the spring breeding areas in the interior. Ground control in the three countries was supplemented by aerial operations at the end of the month. As vegetation is drying out on the coast, most of the swarms along the Sudan/Eritrea border are likely to move into the Eritrean Highlands and perhaps continue west into Sudan. A few small swarms could also move further north along the coast or cross the Red Sea and reach the central interior of Saudi Arabia where they would eventually lay eggs in areas of recent rainfall. In northern Somalia, a few small swarms formed on the northwest coast and moved into adjacent areas of eastern Ethiopia. A few more swarms could form in northwest Somalia and move east along the northern coast, north to areas of recent rainfall in the interior of Yemen, or into adjacent areas of Ethiopia and eventually to the Highlands.

Eastern Region. Unusually heavy rains fell in the spring breeding areas in southeast Iran and western Pakistan during March. Small-scale breeding was in progress on the coast in western Pakistan and limited control operations were carried out. Nevertheless, more breeding is likely to occur during the forecast period, causing locust numbers to increase slightly. There is also a low risk that a few swarms could reach these areas from current infestations along the Red Sea coast and in northern Somalia.

General Situation during March 2007, forecast until mid-May 2007