Subjects

• Climate sciences
• Ecology

AnAuthor Correction to this article was published on 14 August 2020

This article has beenupdated

To the Editor– From the end of 2019 to early 2020, a desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria) outbreak across several East African countries posed a serious risk to food security and livelihoods. A second wave is currently active and threatening the region’s agropastoral areas. Although desert locusts have been here since biblical times, recent intense outbreaks can be linked to anthropogenic climate change and the increased frequency of extreme weather events^1,2,3. Current locust plagues are further exasperated by local economic and political limitations, which facilitate locust spread and place particular pressure on already vulnerable communities.

Controlling such outbreaks requires a swift and coordinated response. However, the Desert Locust Control Organization for Eastern Africa — the regional organization responsible — has been neglected and under-resourced by member countries¹. The limited financial capacity of some of the affected countries and the lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic have further hampered control efforts. Additionally, armed conflict in Somalia rendered some of the locust breeding areas inaccessible. In many cases, the required pesticides, protective gear and locust control experts were not made available in time to allow effective control at the local level.

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