Desert Locust Monitoring in Eritrea, Saudi Arabia and Yemen in 2024/8(Spatial resolution-500m)

The remote sensing monitoring results showed that, in August 2024, desert locusts were primarily found in the western lowlands and coastal areas of the Red Sea in Eritrea, the central and southern coastal areas of the Red Sea in Saudi Arabia, and the western inland areas of Yemen. These areas experienced significant threats to vegetation, impacting 13.6 thousand hectares, 14.0 thousand hectares, and 30.3 thousand hectares, respectively. It is anticipated that, over the next two months, desert locusts in the western lowlands of Eritrea will lay eggs and reproduce on a small scale and migrate to the coastal areas of the Red Sea, where rainfall will be abundant. Due to rainfall from tropical cyclones, vegetation growth in the coastal areas of the Red Sea in Saudi Arabia and the inland areas of Yemen will be favorable for desert locusts to lay eggs and reproduce, leading to a slight increase in their numbers. This period marks the main growing season for cereal crops in Eritrea and Saudi Arabia, and the main harvest season in Yemen. Continuous monitoring of the desert locust dynamics is essential to prevent recurrent losses in agricultural and pasture production.