Desert Locust Monitoring in Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia in 2023/8 (Spatial resolution-500m)

in August 2023, the desert locusts were mainly distributed in central Eritrea, northern and northeastern Ethiopia, and northwestern Somalia. The total damaged vegetation areas in Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia were 5.6, 14.8, and 9.5 thousand hectares, respectively. It is expected that in the next two months, Eritrea will continually experience below-normal precipitation levels, which are unfavorable for the survival of desert locusts, resulting in a lower population of locusts in the central region. Meanwhile, in northwestern Somalia, drought conditions will persist, while in the Afar region of northeastern Ethiopia, rainfall is expected to gradually increase, creating suitable conditions for the survival and reproduction of desert locusts. Therefore, some locust swarms within Somalia will migrate northwest to the Afar region, resulting in a decrease in the number of desert locusts within Somalia. Both native and migratory locusts in the Afar region will mature and reproduce, leading to further increases in the number of locusts within Ethiopia. This period is the main growing season for crops in Eritrea, as well as the main growing and harvesting seasons for crops in Ethiopia. It is also the main growing and planting seasons for crops in Somalia. It is still necessary to pay continuous attention to the dynamics of the desert locust disaster to prevent losses to agricultural and pasture production.