FAO DESERT LOCUST BULLETIN NO.
283
GENERAL SITUATION DURING APRIL 2002
FORECAST UNTIL MID-JUNE 2002
1. SUMMARY
The Desert Locust situation continued to be calm during April. No significant locust populations were reported in the recession area. Conditions remained unfavourable for breeding despite good rains in parts of North-West Africa but they will improve in the southern and eastern Arabian Peninsula where unusual rains fell for the second consecutive month. Breeding conditions are already favourable in parts of eastern Ethiopia and northwestern Somalia. Individual locust adults were present in northern Niger and small-scale breeding was detected in western Pakistan. No significant developments are likely during the forecast period.
Western Region. No locusts were reported in the region except for two individual adults in Niger. Although conditions are not favourable for breeding despite good but sporadic rainfall in parts of Morocco and Algeria, there is likely to be enough vegetation to allow low numbers of solitarious adults to survive in parts of western Mauritania, northern Mali and Niger. No significant developments are likely.
Central Region. No locusts were reported in the region during April. Unusual rains fell over a widespread area of the southern and eastern Arabian Peninsula in mid April for the second month in a row, causing flooding in some places. Low numbers of locusts from surrounding areas including the Horn of Africa may have moved into the interior of Yemen and perhaps into adjacent areas of Saudi Arabia and Oman on winds associated with the storm. If so, these adults could lay on a small-scale in areas where vegetation has become green and the soil is moist from the rains or related run-off. Elsewhere, breeding conditions are favourable in eastern Ethiopia and parts of northwestern Somalia.
Eastern Region. Sporadic showers fell in western Pakistan and along both sides of the Indo-Pakistan border. Isolated solitarious adults persisted in the spring breeding areas in western Pakistan during April. Small-scale breeding was detected in one place where a few first instar hoppers were seen. Results from a joint Iran/Pakistan survey of the spring breeding areas are awaited to clarify further the situation.
2. WEATHER & ECOLOGICAL CONDITIONS IN APRIL 2002
Unusual rains fell for the second consecutive month over the southern and eastern Arabian Peninsula. Rainfall also occurred in parts of North-West Africa and eastern Africa. Mainly dry and unfavourable breeding conditions prevailed due to increasing temperatures in most areas.
In West Africa, no significant rainfall was reported or is thought to have occurred during April for the third consecutive month although isolated showers may have fallen in northern Mali on the 8-9th. Even though conditions are unfavourable for breeding throughout the region, enough vegetation is likely to be present to allow limited numbers of locust adults to survive in parts of western Mauritania (southern Inchiri, Trarza, Adrar and Tagant), in a few wadis in the Adrar des Iforas, northern Mali, and in some interdunal areas in Tamesna and in a few wadis in the Air, Niger.
In North-West Africa, light to moderate rainfall occurred in some areas during April. Isolated showers fell at times on the southern side of the Atlas Mountains in Morocco from the Atlantic coast to the Draa Valley. Some of these were heavy and extended south along the coast towards Tan-Tan and into western Algeria between Tindouf and Bechar. In Morocco, Guelmim reported 63 mm, Ouarzazate 24 mm and Laayoune 6 mm; in Algeria, Tindouf reported 25 mm and Bechar 13 mm. Light rains fell in a few places in the central and eastern Algerian Sahara and may have occurred on the southern side of the Atlas Mountains in Morocco on 29-30 April. Hot easterly Chergui winds caused temperatures to increase steadily during April, reaching 40 °C in southern Morocco. Vegetation was dry in southern Morocco, in the Algerian Sahara and along the Algerian-Libyan border.
In Eastern Africa, mainly dry conditions prevailed throughout the region during April. During the second week of the month, significant cloud activity was present over Ethiopia, Djibouti, southern Eritrea and northern Somalia and light rains were reported in northern Somalia along the coast near Berbera and in the interior near Borama. Light rainfall occurred several times near Dire Dawa, Ethiopia where a total of nearly 100 mm was received during the first half of the month. In Djibouti, light rain fell along the northern coast near Obock and the eastern coast near Djibouti town during the third week of April. Light to moderate rains may have fallen in eastern Sudan between Kassala and Derudeb on the 30th. Because of good rainfall during the past two months, breeding conditions are favourable in eastern Ethiopia between Dire Dawa and Jijiga, extending to parts of the coast and interior areas in northwestern Somalia. Green vegetation was also present in Eritrea on the Red Sea coast between Massawa and Inghel.
In the Near East, unusual rains fell over a widespread area of the southern and eastern Arabian Peninsula from Jizan, Saudi Arabia to the interior of Yemen and Oman for the second consecutive month. Similar to the rainfall in March, these rains were associated with a low-pressure system that developed over the Persian Gulf on 10-13 April and brought moist air on southerly winds from the Arabian Sea. Rainfall was heaviest in Yemen along the southern coast and in the interior between Wadi Jawf and Hadramaut. Moderate to heavy rains fell throughout Oman and flooding was reported in several areas. On the southern Red Sea coast in Saudi Arabia, Jizan reported 53 mm, and 23 mm fell on the edge of the Empty Quarter at Sharurah. Light to moderate rains also fell along the Red Sea coast in Yemen where vegetation was dry or drying out. Because of the unusual rains, breeding conditions are likely to improve in those areas that received rainfall.
In South-West Asia, light rainfall occurred in early April in western Pakistan in the Baluchistan interior and along the Indo-Pakistan border in Cholistan, Pakistan and Rajasthan, India. Nevertheless, mainly dry conditions prevailed in the region except for small isolated patches of green vegetation in the spring breeding areas in western Pakistan.
3. AREA TREATED
No control operations were reported during April.
4. DESERT LOCUST SITUATION AND FORECAST
WEST AFRICA
Mauritania
- Situation
No locusts were reported during April.
- Forecast
Low numbers of adults are likely to be present in parts of Inchiri and southern Adrar as well as in the summer breeding areas of Tagant, Trarza and northern Brakna. No significant developments are likely.
Mali
- Situation
No locusts were reported during April.
- Forecast
Isolated adults may be present and will persist in parts of Timetrine and the Adrar des Iforas where vegetation remains green. No significant developments are likely.
Niger
- Situation
Two individual mature locusts were seen near Arlit (1843N/0721E) during surveys carried out in April between Agadez and Arlit.
- Forecast
Isolated adults will persist in parts of Tamesna during the forecast period.
Chad
- Situation
No reports received.
- Forecast
No significant developments are likely.
Senegal
- Situation
No reports received.
- Forecast
No significant developments are likely.
Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Gambia, Guinea Bissau and Guinea Conakry
- Forecast
No significant developments are likely.
NORTH-WEST AFRICA
Algeria
- Situation
No locusts were reported during April.
- Forecast
No significant developments are likely.
Morocco
- Situation
No locusts were reported during April.
- Forecast
Isolated adults may be present in the Draa Valley and in nearby areas where small-scale breeding could occur in areas of recent rainfall. No significant developments are likely.
Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
- Situation
No locusts were reported and no surveys were carried out during April.
- Forecast
No significant developments are likely.
Tunisia
- Situation
No locusts were reported during April.
- Forecast
No significant developments are likely.
EASTERN AFRICA
Sudan
- Situation
No locusts were reported during April.
- Forecast
No significant developments are likely.
Eritrea
- Situation
No reports received.
- Forecast
No significant developments are likely.
Somalia
- Situation
No locusts were reported along the northwest coast between Bulhar (1023N/4425E) and Lughaye (1041N/4356E) up to 22 April.
- Forecast
Isolated adults may be present in a few areas along the coastal plains between Djibouti and Las Koreh and on the escarpment between Borama and Erigavo. There is a low possibility of breeding in some of these areas where recent rains have fallen. No significant developments are likely.
Ethiopia
- Situation
No locusts were reported during April.
- Forecast
Although conditions may be favourable for breeding, the likelihood that locusts are present is very low and, consequently, no significant developments are expected.
Djibouti
- Situation
No locusts were reported and no surveys were carried out during April.
- Forecast
No significant developments are likely.
Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda
- Forecast
No significant developments are likely.
NEAR EAST
Saudi Arabia
- Situation
No locusts were reported during April.
- Forecast
Isolated adults may be present on the Red Sea coastal plains near Jizan where small-scale breeding could occur. No significant developments are likely.
Yemen
- Situation
No locusts were seen during surveys on the Red Sea coastal plains on 24-25 April.
- Forecast
Low numbers of adults may have moved into the interior desert between Marib and Hadramaut on winds associated with the rains that fell in mid April. If so, small-scale breeding could occur in those areas that received rainfall. Surveys to clarify the situation are highly recommended in these areas.
Egypt
- Situation
No locusts were reported from the Red Sea coastal plains or in the Western Desert during April.
- Forecast
No significant developments are likely.
Kuwait
- Situation
No reports received.
- Forecast
No significant developments are likely.
Oman
- Situation
No locusts were reported in Musandam, Dhahira, Batinah and Dakhiliya regions during April.
- Forecast
No significant developments are likely.
United Arab Emirates
- Situation
No reports received.
- Forecast
No significant developments are likely.
Bahrain, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Qatar, Syria Arab Republic and Turkey
- Forecast
No significant developments are likely.
SOUTH-WEST ASIA
Iran
- Situation
No reports received. Results of the Iran/Pakistan Joint Survey carried out in Sistan-Baluchistan during the first half of April are awaited.
- Forecast
Isolated adults may be present on the Vashnum plains near Chabahar in the extreme southeast and perhaps further west along the coast near Jask but locust numbers will decline as conditions dry out.
Pakistan
- Situation
During the first half of April, immature and mature isolated adults at densities of up to 4 per ha were seen at 11 locations in coastal and interior areas of Baluchistan and Las Bela Small scale breeding was detected in one location near Turbat at Bidrang (2603N/6410E) where two first instar hoppers were reported on the 9th.
Results of the Iran/Pakistan Joint Survey carried out in Baluchistan during the second half of the month are awaited.
- Forecast
Locust numbers will decline in Baluchistan as vegetation becomes dry. No significant developments are likely.
India
- Situation
No locusts were reported during the second half of March and the first half of April.
- Forecast
No significant developments are likely.
Afghanistan
- Situation
No reports received.
- Forecast
No significant developments are likely.
5. ANNOUNCEMENTS
Locust reporting. Affected countries are kindly reminded to make sure that locust situation reports are sent to FAO HQ by the 25th day of the month so the information can be included in the FAO bulletin for the current month; otherwise, it will not appear until the following month. Reports should be sent even if no locusts were found or if no surveys were conducted.
Reporting by email. Affected countries are encouraged to send completed FAO Desert Locust Survey and Control Forms with a brief interpretation of the results by email to eclo@fao.org.
Desert Locust Guidelines. The revised edition in English was issued on 24 September 2001 and is now available from FAO. Please contact the Locust Group for more information.
eLocust. Details of a new system under evaluation for recording and transmitting locust survey and control data collected in the field can be found on the Internet at:
www.fao.org/news/2001/010601-e.htm
Publications on the Internet. A list of publications that can be downloaded from the FAO Locust webpages is now available (www.fao.org/news/global/locusts/pubslist.htm). New additions are:
EMPRES Contingency Planning Seminar. Details of the seminar recently held in Egypt are available on the Internet at: www.fao.org/news/global/locusts/0202cont/CPhome.htm
Desert Locust Control Diploma. The Graduate College of the University of Khartoum is offering a one year post-graduate diploma course in Desert Locust Control that is expected to start in August 2002. Applications should be sent before the first week of June to: Registrar of the Graduate College, University of Khartoum, POB 321, Khartoum, Sudan. For more details: Selbashir@hotmail.com
Upcoming events. The following are scheduled: