The Environmental Food Crisis

Favourable reproduction conditions

Massive swarm migration

July - September 2003 Exceptional rains favour locus reproduction. Lack of funding for preventive intervention in the Sahel. ti l r i f r locust r r ti . f f nding for r tiv intervention in the Sahel.

October 2003 - February 2004 Situation aggravated and start massive migration of destructive swarms. it ti r v ted and start i i r tion of destructive r .

March - July 2004 Massive reproduction in the Maghreb, limited reproduction in the Red Sea region. Invasion into the Sahel. Gregarious populations eradicated on the coast of the Red Sea. i r r uction in the r , li it d reproduction in t a region. Invasion into t el. regarious popula- tions eradicated on the coast of the Red Sea.

August - November 2004 Monsoon creates favourable conditions for reproduction in West Africa. Massive and early migration of swarms born in the Sahel towards the Maghreb and eastward towards Egypt, Lebanon and Cyprus. creates favourable iti s f r reproduction in t frica. assive and early i r tion of s ar s born in the Sahel towards the Maghreb and eastward towards Egypt, Lebanon and Cyprus.

Figure 23: A shift in desert locust ( Schistocerca gregaria ) host range due to climate change might have catastrophic impacts on food and livestock production. According to UNICEF (2005) it is estimated that two-thirds of the 2004 loss in food production and pasture in Niger is rooted in the impact of drought at national level, while desert locusts, which infested the country afterwards, caused one-third of the overall damages. In certain areas, swarms of desert locusts consumed nearly 100% of the crops. The desert locust, like other locusts, can change its behaviour and physiology from solitary individuals to gregarious stages that form swarms. Solitary desert lo- custs occur at low density in the recession area, which covers North Africa, the Sahel, the Red Sea countries and parts of Afghanistan, India, Iran and Pakistan. The outbreak area stretches from Mauritania to India and from southern Europe to Cameroon and Tanzania. Outbreaks and plagues originate in the recession areas when there are several cycles of good breeding conditions. Although the effects of climate change on this system are difficult to judge, climate scenarios with more winter rain in the Sahel may provide better breeding conditions. Large amounts of chemicals are being used to stem this plague, at considerable risk to the environment and public health. A hazard is that locusts depend on the wind and rain to travel. (Source: CIRAD/UNEP/GRID-Arendal 2005).

55