Towards Sustainable Locust Management in Caucasus and Central Asia

NOVEMBER

©FAO/A. MONARD ©FAO/A. 2018 TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE LOCUST MANAGEMENT IN CAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA

Locusts and grasshoppers are a serious at least 20 million people. The most affected hopper bands and swarms across political threat to agriculture, including pastures populations are the most vulnerable boundaries. Locusts are also opportunistic and rangelands, in Caucasus and Central rural communities, whose health and insects and may become more dangerous Asia, where more than 25 million hectares environment can moreover suffer from with global warming and exceptional are concerned. adverse impacts of locust control operations. weather events boosted by climate During outbreaks, the three main locust Locusts are migrant pests, able to fly change. pests, the Asian Migratory Locust (Locusta over up to 100 km per day and settle in To reduce the occurrence and intensity of migratoria migratoria), the Italian Locust new areas, which increases their pest locust outbreaks, FAO has been implementing a (Calliptamus italicus) and the Moroccan status. In Caucasus and Central Asia, locust multi-funded and interregional “Programme Locust (Dociostaurus maroccanus), attack all traditional habitats and breeding areas are to improve national and regional locust kinds of crops and natural vegetation and often situated on both sides of borders. management in Caucasus and Central Asia jeopardise food security and livelihoods of This results in frequent movements of (CCA)” since 2011.

MAIN RESULTS ACHIEVED, • Switching from reaction to prevention and disaster risk reduction; KEY CHALLENGES AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS • Further strengthening of human and operational capacities. The main Programme achievements include the creation of a In this context, the Technical Workshop on Locusts in CCA, regional technical network, strengthened national capacities on held in November 2017 in Tajikistan, allowed defining a Roadmap, a wide range of topics related to locust management, and higher including expected results and envisaged activities, to be used as a attention to human health and environmental aspects. framework for the Programme in the coming years. Building on those achievements and with the critical challenge of ensuring the sustainability of national and regional locust TOWARDS LONG-TERM management, countries agreed on a shared vision, based on three REGIONAL COOPERATION ON LOCUSTS main directions: No successful management of transboundary plant pests can be • Sustainability of regional cooperation; expected without regional cooperation. The regional network on

FOOD CHAIN CRISIS | EMERGENCY PREVENTION SYSTEM | INFORMATION SHEETS KEY FACTS TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE LOCUST MANAGEMENT IN CAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA LOCUST MANAGEMENT IN CCA

A MULTI-FUNDED PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTED BY FAO SINCE 2011 TO

IMPROVE NATIONAL IDRISOV ©FAO/T. AND REGIONAL LOCUST MANAGEMENT locusts, now existing in CCA, was a big step • Reduced negative impact of control TEN COUNTRIES INVOLVED: forward but it does not suffice in terms of operations on human health and the AFGHANISTAN, ARMENIA, sustainability. It needs to be maintained environment; AZERBAIJAN, GEORGIA, and consolidated. That means pursuing • Reduced financial costs. KAZAKHSTAN, KYRGYZSTAN, key activities such as regular information The approach is the result of applied th THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION, exchange (regional monthly bulletins), joint research from the beginning of the 20 century, TAJIKISTAN, TURKMENISTAN, activities (cross-border surveys, training with a solid scientific basis and extensive field AND UZBEKISTAN etc.) and annual meetings at the regional practice. Its value has been demonstrated level. In addition, an appropriate long-term by FAO’s experience within the Programme mechanism should be agreed upon and EMPRES (Emergency Prevention System for RESOURCE PARTNERS established by the countries. It is only in this Transboundary Animal and Plant Pests and INCLUDE JAPAN AND way that the regional cooperation can be Diseases) and continues to be supported by the JAPAN INTERNATIONAL guaranteed in the long-term, beyond the FAO Desert Locust commissions. COOPERATION AGENCY (JICA), Programme and external funding. While the Locust Programme in Caucasus TURKEY, THE UNITED STATES and Central Asia relies on this experience, a AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL TOWARDS PREVENTION AND shift from reaction to prevention and disaster DEVELOPMENT (USAID) RISK DISASTER APPROACHES risk reduction is still necessary for the region The locust preventive control strategy where infested areas average 8.7 million relies on monitoring locust population hectares annually resulting in the treatment MAIN RESULTS ACHIEVED: dynamics, allowing more accurate of 4.9 million hectares. EFFECTIVE REGIONAL forecast and thus early warning and early Such a significant paradigm shift requires TECHNICAL NETWORK AND reaction. It includes a regular collection strong advocacy as well as in-depth work in STRENGTHENED NATIONAL of standardised and geo-referenced field several directions: CAPACITIES ON LOCUST data at key periods of locust biological • Improved localisation and description of MANAGEMENT cycles and in the right areas. These data locust hotspots for better-targeted survey are quickly transmitted and then analysed operations; together with weather and satellite • More accurate locust surveillance, KEY CHALLENGE: information. including the use of the Automated SUSTAINABILITY OF NATIONAL This strategy has proved to be the only System for Data Collection (ASDC); AND REGIONAL LOCUST effective and sustainable one in the long run, • Enhanced analysis and forecast using MANAGEMENT IN CAUCASUS from socio-economic and environmental modern tools such as a customised AND CENTRAL ASIA perspectives. In fact, if well designed and Geographical Information System entitled implemented, it contributes to: “Caucasus and Central Asia Locust • Anticipating and preventing crises; Management System (CCALM).” FAO-Locust • Better responding to crises in case they management in CCA occur; and TOWARDS • Reducing annual infested and treated FURTHER STRENGTHENING e-mail areas. OF NATIONAL CAPACITIES [email protected] This can be translated into: Effective implementation of the locust • Reduced damage to crops and rangelands preventive control strategy relies on the further WebsiteS and therefore preservation of food strengthening of national capacities on locust www.fao.org/food-chain-crisis security and livelihoods of vulnerable rural management, primarily to enhance monitoring www.fao.org/ag/locusts-CCA communities; and related early warning and reaction.