FAO DESERT LOCUST BULLETIN No. 291
General Situation during December 2002
Forecast until mid-February 2003

The Desert Locust situation remained calm during December. Small-scale breeding continued in western Mauritania and insignificant numbers of adults were present in Morocco and Yemen. Although good rains fell in Morocco, they are expected to have little impact on the locust situation. During the forecast period, small-scale breeding is likely to occur along the Red Sea coasts of Yemen and Saudi Arabia and, if additional rains fall, on the coasts of Sudan and Eritrea as well as in northwestern Mauritania. Elsewhere, low numbers of locusts may persist in parts of northern Mali.

Western Region. Small-scale breeding continued in central and western Mauritania during December where low numbers of hoppers and adults were reported. A few adults were also seen in the Draa Valley in Morocco and in southern Algeria. Unless further rains fall in these areas, only low numbers of adults will persist in these areas. In northern Mali, scattered adults may be present in a few wadis where vegetation is still green. No locusts were reported elsewhere in the region.

Central Region. Isolated adults were reported at one place on the Red Sea coast in Yemen as well as on the coastal plains near Aden. Small-scale breeding is likely to occur during the forecast period on the Red Sea coast of Yemen and in adjacent areas near Jizan, Saudi Arabia where light rains fell during December. This will lead to a slight increase in locust numbers but they will remain well below threatening levels. If additional rains fall in the coming weeks, small-scale breeding could occur on the coastal plains and adjacent subcoastal areas in Sudan where adults may already be present and, to a lesser extent, in Eritrea. No locusts were reported elsewhere in the region.

Eastern Region. Although light rains fell in Baluchistan, Pakistan and in Rajasthan, India, breeding conditions remained unfavourable and no locusts were reported in the region. No significant developments are likely during the forecast period.

In the Western Region, good rains fell during December in northwestern and southern Morocco, extending at times to western Algeria. These rains were associated with several depressions that originated in the Atlantic Ocean and moved eastward across the Mediterranean on the 10-13th, the 18th and on the 27th. Heavy rains fell in the Souss Valley (154 mm at Taroudant, 121 at Agadir) and along the southern side of the Atlas Mountains (141 mm at Ouarzazate). Rainfall was lighter in the Draa Valley and on the coast between Sidi Ifni and Dakhla. Most of the rain fell during the second week when light showers fell as far south as Dakhla and east to Samara and Tindouf. Consequently, vegetation is green or becoming green in most of these areas. On 10 December, light rains also fell in southern Mauritania from Aioun El Atrous south to Nioro du Sahel, Mali. On the 12th, the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) reached as far north as 25N over northeastern Niger but no rainfall was reported or is thought to have occurred. Although vegetation was becoming dry, conditions remained favourable for Desert Locust survival in parts of Inchiri in northwestern Mauritania, in a few wadis in the Adrar des Iforas in northern Mali and near Tamanrasset in southern Algeria.

In the Central Region, light to moderate rains fell along parts of the Red Sea coast in Eritrea near Massawa and in Saudi Arabia near Jizan during the third week of December. Light to moderate rains also fell several times on the Red Sea coast of Yemen between Bayt Al Faqih and the Saudi border. Consequently, conditions are expected to be favourable for small-scale breeding in these areas. Light rainfall also occurred in eastern Ethiopia near Dire Dawa and in northwestern Somalia near Boroma, but vegetation was reported to be drying out in these places. In Djibouti, light rain fell in the capital in the 26th and 29th. No rainfall was reported on the Red Sea coast in Sudan and Egypt.

In the Eastern Region, isolated showers fell in some places along the coast and in the interior of Baluchistan in western Pakistan during the second half of December. Similar showers were reported in parts of Rajasthan, India between Jodhpur, Jaisalmer and Bikaner at the end of the month. Despite this rainfall, temperatures remained low and conditions were unfavourable for locust survival or breeding in both areas.

No control operations were reported during December.

Although breeding declined during the first two decades of December in the Takhça region near Moudjeria (1751N/1228W), a few individual hoppers of all instars mixed with isolated immature and mature adults persisted in this area during the remainder of the month. Small-scale breeding continued to the northeast, northwest and south of Moudjeria, and near Akjoujt (1945N/1421W) where isolated hoppers, fledglings and adults were present.

A report was received with information up to 3 December but further details are awaited.

In early November, scattered immature and mature adults mixed with isolated first instar hoppers were reported on the Talak plains northeast of Arlit near Agaliouk (1846N/0732E). Ground control operations treated 435 ha, and, by the 21st, scattered adults at densities of 200 per ha and solitarious and transiens hoppers at densities of 10 per bush remained. Nearby, solitarious adults, up to 1,000 per ha, were reported as well as a few fourth instar hoppers. Elsewhere, an individual immature adult was seen on the 8th east of Agadez (1700N/0756E) in southeastern Air. A single hopper and adult were also seen in Tamesna north of In Abangharit (1754N/0559E) on the 22nd.

No reports received.

No reports received.

A few immature adults were present in wadis near Tamanrasset (2250N/0528E) during December.

Three individual immature adults were seen near Guelmim at Msied (2801N/1049W) on 26 December. No locusts were seen during surveys carried out in adjacent areas near Tan-Tan.

No locusts were reported during December.

No locusts were reported during December.

No locusts were reported during December.

No locusts were seen during surveys carried out on 22-23 December on the northern coast between Massawa (1537N/3928E) and the Sudanese border at Karora (1745N/3820E).

No locusts were seen during surveys carried out on the northwestern coastal plains near Berbera (1028N/4502E) and on the escarpment Hargeisa (0931N/4402E) and Boroma (0956N/4313E) on 10-12 December.

No surveys were carried out and no locusts were reported during December.

No surveys were carried out and no locusts were reported during December.

No locusts were reported during December along the Red Sea coast or in the Western Desert.

No locusts were reported during November and December.

An isolated mature adult was seen on the Red Sea coastal plains south of Hodeidah at Khabt Majbol (1441N/4312E) on 12 December. Isolated mature adults were seen on the 31st on the coastal plains northwest of Aden in areas where breeding had occurred during October.

No reports received.

No locusts were seen during surveys carried out in Hormozgan and Kerman provinces on 23-24 December.

No locusts were reported during December.

No locusts were reported during the second half of November and in December.

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:

- Report of the 23rd session of the NW Africa Commission (CLCPANO) in French and Arabic

- Report of the 36th session of the DLCC (English and French; Arabic upon request)

- FAO Desert Locust Guidelines, revised edition, 2001 (English)

- FAO Spray Monitoring Form (English)

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).

Master Trainer Course. Details and photos of a FAO training-of-trainers course on Desert Locust survey, control and training skills recently held in Oman are available at:

www.fao.org/news/global/locusts/omntot/totmain.htm

2003 events. The following are provisionally scheduled:

- EMPRES/WR. 1st Liaison Officers meeting, Niamey (Niger), 30 January - 3 February

- EMPRES. 6th Consultative Committee and Phase III Planning Workshop, Luxor (Egypt), May

- CRC. 24th Session of the Executive Committee, Beirut (Lebanon), 10-15 April

- CLCPANO. Extraordinary Session, Alger (Algeria), 4-5 June

- CLCPRO. 2nd Session, Alger (Algeria), 7-11 June

- DLCC. 37th Session, FAO Rome, 22-26 September

- EMPRES/CR. 11th Liaison Officers meeting, Djibouti (or Egypt), December

- DLCC Technical Group. FAO Rome, to be advised