Western Region. Isolated adults and a few solitarious hoppers were present in parts of southern Mauritania and western Niger. Scattered adults were also reported in northern Mali. The good rains that fell in many of these areas is likely to allow breeding to continue on a small-scale during the forecast period. Consequently, locust numbers are likely to increase but remain below threatening levels. Low numbers of locusts are likely to appear in western and northwestern Mauritania. No locusts were reported elsewhere in the region and no significant developments are expected.

Central Region. Results are awaited from surveys that are in progress in western and central Sudan where good rains fell during September in the summer breeding areas. Small-scale breeding has been reported from a traditional outbreak area on the southern coast of Yemen near Aden where groups of hoppers and fledglings were seen at one location while breeding was reported in another area nearby. Unusually heavy rain fell in the winter breeding areas along the southern coast of Eritrea, Djibouti and along the Red Sea coast of Yemen and adjacent areas of Saudi Arabia. Although no locusts were reported in these areas, conditions will improve to allow the possibility of small-scale breeding during the forecast period. No locusts were reported elsewhere in the region.

Eastern Region. Although breeding conditions are reported to be more favourable in Rajasthan, India than in adjacent summer breeding areas in Pakistan, only isolated adults were seen in the latter area. No significant developments are likely in the region.

In the Western Region, the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) oscillated between 10N and 25N during September with periodic surges to 22N over northern Mali on 11 and 18 September and 25N over southern Algeria on the 8th and 23rd. The unusually large fluctuation and the northward surges were associated with several depressions over the Mediterranean and the central Sahara. Consequently, good rains fell in many of the summer breeding areas between Mauritania and Chad. In Mauritania, rains were sporadic in southern areas during the first dekad of September but improved during the remainder of the month. In northern Mauritania, unusually good rains fell at Akjoujt (44 mm) and isolated showers are likely to have occurred near Bir Moghrein and in El Hank. Although conditions remain favourable for breeding in the south (Trarza, Brakna, the two Hodhs), some areas were starting to dry out by the end of the month. In northern Mali, moderate rains fell at times in Timetrine, the Adrar des Iforas and Tamesna where conditions continued to be favourable for breeding. In Niger, favourable breeding conditions persisted in southern and central Tamesna where good rains fell during the second half of the month and parts of southern Air. In Chad, good rains fell in the east near Abeche that will allow breeding conditions to remain favourable. Lighter rains fell in the northeast near Fada where green vegetation is present in the Ennedi Hills. In southern Algeria, light rains fell a few times, associated with northward surges of the ITCZ and depressions over the Mediterranean. Consequently, breeding conditions were improving in wadis and run-off areas near the Hoggar Mountains. In southern and southeastern Morocco, vegetation was reportedly becoming dry and conditions unfavourable for breeding because of a lack of rainfall.

In the Central Region, good rains fell for the second consecutive month in the summer breeding areas of central and western Sudan and in the western lowlands of Eritrea. Consequently, breeding conditions continued to be favourable in Northern Darfur, Northern Kordofan and White Nile provinces in Sudan and along Khor Barka in western Eritrea. Light rains fell in eastern Ethiopia and in some places on the escarpment in northwestern Somalia. Significant cloud activity was seen for the second month in a row along the Red Sea coast from Massawa, Eritrea to Djibouti. Moderate rains were reported in coastal and interior areas of Djibouti city and additional rainfall may have occurred in adjacent areas of the southern coast of Eritrea. Breeding conditions are likely to be improving in all of these areas. Moderate to heavy rains fell along the Red Sea coastal plains between Qunfidah, Saudi Arabia and Bait Al-Faqih, Yemen. In many of these places, good rains have fallen throughout most of the summer, suggesting that conditions are favourable in the winter breeding areas earlier than in most years. Conditions were also favourable for breeding on the southern coastal plains of Yemen near Aden where heavy showers fell in early September. Isolated light to moderate rainfall was reported in the interior of Yemen, extending to the edge of the Empty Quarter at Sharurah, Saudi Arabia where 37 mm were reported in early September. In northern Oman, light to moderate rainfall was reported at a few places in the interior.

In the Eastern Region, light to moderate rains fell during the first half of September in Barmer, Jaisalmer and Jodhpur areas in Rajasthan, India where conditions were reported to be favourable for breeding. In Pakistan, light rains fell in Cholistan at Bahawalpur and in the Tharparkar Desert at Chhor. Breeding conditions were said to be less favourable than in India.

No control operations were reported during August.

During September, isolated immature and mature adults were present at several places near Oualata (1715N/0655W), north of Aioun El Atrous (1702N/0941W) and, to a lesser extent, between Tidjikja (1829N/1131W) and Moudjeria (1751N/1228W). Small-scale breeding was in progress near Aioun and Oualata where isolated second to fifth instar hoppers and copulating adults were seen from the second week of September onwards. No locusts were seen during surveys in the southwest near Rkiz.

During September, nomads reported seeing scattered immature and mature adults in the Adrar des Iforas at Tahalt (1912N/0052E), in the Timetrine at Terchichout (1922N/0010W) and Aril (1910N/0005W), and near Gao at In Azar (1627N/0022E).

No locusts were seen during surveys carried out south of Agadez and in Tamesna from 26 July to 31 August except at one place, Anes Baraka (1831N/0552E), near In Abangharit where solitarious immature adults were present at densities of 5-10 locusts per ha on the 21st.

Small-scale breeding occurred during September northwest of Agadez where isolated first to third instar hoppers were seen at Aouguessess (1744N0715E) on the 12th. Isolated immature adults were present in Tamesna at two locations west of In Abangharit (1754N/0559E) and at another two locations southeast of Agadez.

No reports received.

No reports received.

No locusts were reported during September.

No locusts were reported during September.

No reports received.

No locusts were reported during September.

No locusts were seen during surveys carried out on 5-7 September in the north near Atbara (1742N/3400E). Surveys are in progress in Northern Kordofan.

No reports received.

No locusts were seen during surveys on the escarpment between Boroma (0956N/4313E) and Berbera (1028N/4502E) on 15-19 September.

No locusts were seen during surveys carried out near Dire Dawa and in adjacent areas to the north on 19-22 September.

No locusts were seen during surveys carried out on the coastal plains between Djibouti town and the Somali border, on the northern coast from Tadjourah (1147N/4253E) and Obock (1157N/4317E) to the Eritrean border and in the interior near Ali Sabieh (1109N/4242E) and the Ethiopian border.

In the Western Desert, ground teams treated 38 ha of African Migratory Locust mixed with a few Desert Locust hoppers and adults in cropping areas at Sharq Oweinat (2237N/2845E) on 4 September.

No locusts were reported during September.

On 6 September, mature adults were seen copulating and laying on the coastal plains northwest of Aden. By the end of the month, solitarious and transiens fourth to sixth instar hoppers at densities of 2-13 hoppers per sq. m and fledglings at densities of 350-1500 adults per ha were present within an area of 2000 ha near Am Rija (1302N/4434E). Nearby, adults were seen copulating and laying. No locusts were seen during surveys carried out in September in the interior near Al Hazm (1609N/4447E), on the Red Sea coastal plains and near Aden.

No locusts were reported in Musandam during September.

No reports received.

No locusts were reported in Kerman, Hormozgan and Sistan-Baluchistan provinces during September.

During the second half of August, isolated immature and mature adults, at densities of 1-4 adults per ha, were seen at five places in the Cholistan Desert along the Indian border south of Bahawalpur, at three places in Tharparkar and at three places near Las Bela west of Karachi.

During the first half of September, similar populations and densities persisted at eight places in Cholistan and three in Tharparkar.

No locusts were seen during surveys carried out in the summer breeding areas of Rajasthan and Gujarat during the first half of September.

No reports received.

Locust reporting. Affected countries are kindly reminded to make sure that all locust situation reports are sent to FAO HQ by the 28th 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 e-mail. After each survey or control operation, affected countries should send completed FAO Desert Locust Survey and Control Forms with a brief interpretation of the results by e-mail 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:

Desert Locust research award. The FAO Commission for Controlling the Desert Locust in the Central Region (CRC) is pleased to announce a cash award for outstanding research on Desert Locust. For more details, please contact the CRC Office in Cairo (munir.butrous@fao.org).

CLCPRO. It was decided at the first session of the Commission held in Rome on 18-20 September to establish the Commission’s seat in Alger, Algeria. The 2nd session will be held in Alger in June 2003.

2002 events. The following are scheduled:

2003 events. The following are provisionally scheduled: