Desert Locust Monitoring in Eritrea, Saudi Arabia and Yemen in 2025/09(Spatial resolution-500m)

in September 2025, desert locusts were primarily distributed across the central–western interior of Eritrea, the western Red Sea coastal zone and the southern interior of Saudi Arabia, and the southern Gulf of Aden coast of Yemen, affecting 15.2, 16.8, and 17.9 thousand hectares of vegetation, respectively. Over the next two months, increased rainfall along the eastern Red Sea coast of Eritrea will lead to localized greening that can support small-scale breeding. In contrast, rainfall in the interior of Saudi Arabia and Yemen is expected to decrease, vegetation will continue to dry, and conditions will be less favorable for survival and reproduction; locusts will shift toward the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden coasts, with a slight increase along the coastal belts. As this period coincides with the main growing and harvest seasons for food crops in Eritrea and Saudi Arabia, and the major harvest season in Yemen, continued monitoring is essential to prevent recurrent losses in agricultural and pastoral production.