2004 locust outbreak
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 2004 Locust Outbreak was the largest infestation of desert locust in West and North Africa in more than 15 years and affected a number of countries in the fertile northern regions of Africa.
[edit] Development
The increase in desert locust breeding activity was noted in the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) desert locust informational newsletters in late 2003, and by early 2004 the threat materialized as swarms of locusts started to inflict damages on crops. The collective fear, expressed by the FAO and news organizations covering the situation, was the destruction of a sizeable portion of Africa's food supply.
In 2004, the threat of a locust plague emerged, creating one of the largest locust swarms since 1989. The costs of fighting this outbreak have been estimated by the FAO to have exceeded US$60 million and harvest losses were valued at up to US$2.5 billion which had disastrous effects on the food security situation in West Africa. Lack of rain and cold temperatures in the winter breeding area of Northwest Africa slowed down the development of the locusts and allowed the locust control agencies to stop the cycle. In 2005, only a couple of swarms invaded the Sahel countries. Though significant breeding occurred in the summer in the border area of Chad and Sudan, the situation appears to be under control for the time being.
As the year progressed, the swarms migrated over the continent causing devastation, and in November 2004 appeared in northern Egypt, Jordan and Israel for the first time in 50 years. One swarm in Morocco between Tarfaya and Tan-Tan was 230 km long, at least 150 m wide, and contained an estimated 69 billion locusts, which were being used as a food resource by 33 different bird species (Ullman 2006). However a combination of strict pest control measures and a good harvest allowed Africa to avoid a continent-wide food disaster. According to the FAO, while the overall food output for the affected Sahel region has declined, it is still within the range of five-year averages. Nevertheless, some countries lost significant portions of their crops to the locusts, particularly Mauritania, which lost as much as half of its harvest[1].
The 2004 swarms have been cited as a major cause of the developing Niger food crisis.
[edit] References and external links
- Ullman, M. (2006). African Desert Locusts in Morocco in November 2004. Brit. Birds 99: 489-491.
- IRIN Locust Swarm 2004 film
- FAO Desert Locust Information Service
