Goals

• Improved collection and exchange of information on rainfall, vegetation and locusts to enable better early warning of critical situations that may be developing.
• Improved survey and assessment procedures.
• Improved communication and information exchange.
• Improved forecasting by the Migratory Pest Group at FAO.

Survey methods and operations for monitoring actual and potential outbreak areas are being improved. The challenge is to find the Desert Locust infestations over vast, predominantly uninhabited areas and to assess them reliably in order to plan and organize the required control operations. One aspect is to explore how more efficient use can be made of existing information on environmental conditions and sightings of locust swarms. New technologies such as geographic positioning systems (GPS) and remote sensing are being introduced.

As part of the early warning system, EMPRES is taking advantage of recent developments in modern communication technology to strengthen information exchange amongst affected countries and FAO. This should improve decision making and facilitate rapid mobilisation of control operations.