Activities

Questionnaire on DLIS and tools for locust information officers
Using SurveyMonkey, an online questionnaire was completed by national locust information officers regarding DLIS and the tools used for Desert Locust management in 2016 and 2012. The results presented here will be used to improve DLIS products and services to locust-affected countries.

Early warning success
There are several basic components that are required for any early warning system to be effective and reliable

eLocust3: updated field data entry & transmission
eLocust3 is a handheld device used by national field officers during survey and control operations in countries affected by the Desert Locust. It began operations on 1 January 2015, replacing the ten-year old eLocust2.

eLocust2: field data entry & transmission
Handheld device for locust officers to record survey and control results in the field and transmit them via satellite to their National Locust Centres

Google Earth Engine
Innovative Google technology and free new tools: Google Earth Pro, My Maps (share simple interactive maps without Google Earth), Fusion Tables (share geo-referenced data on a map), and Google Earth Engine (rapid remote sensing imagery display and analysis), already used by FAO Forestry and being extended for Desert Locust

MODIS-derived greenness maps to better monitor Desert Locust habitats
A dynamic map that shows where vegetation is present in the desert and how long it has been green

Training National Locust Information Officers
FAO conducts an 11-month training programme in DLIS for national Locust Information Officers

Environment and human health

Biopesticides
Advocacy and operational use of biopesticides in locust control

Safety and environmental precautions
Safety and environmental precautions in locust control

Ultra-low volume spraying
Ultra-low volume (ULV) spraying for locust control

Innovation

Climate predictions
Using six-month rainfall and temperature predictions to forecast locust developments

Digital tools
eLocust3 suite: real-time data transmission from the field to national locust centres

Drones
dLocust: long-range drone for mapping vegetation and detecting locusts

Earth observation
Monitoring rainfall, vegetation and soil moisture from space

Emergency operations
EarthRanger: tracking aerial survey and control operations

GIS
RAMSES & SWARMS GIS: managing and analysing geo-spatial data

Models
Estimating locust development rates, migration, 3D, and optimal response

Locust Group

Locusts and Transboundary Plant Pests and Diseases (NSPMD)

Surveys

Yemen / Saudi Arabia Joint Border Survey
Yemen / Saudi Arabia Joint Border Survey (Jan 2004)

Uweinat, Libya
Desert Locust survey to Jebel Uweinat, Libya (Jan 2001)

Enroute to Kufra & Uweinat

Wadis (Uweinat, Beli & Gazal)

Jebels (Uweinat, Archnu, Tizi, Kissu, Babein, Ain Gazal & Karkurs)

Locust survey at Jebel Uweinat

Survey team members & dining, Jebel Uweinat

Vegetation after the last rains of 1998 near Jebel Uweinat

Prehistoric rock paintings

Egypt Western Desert
Desert Locust survey in the Western Desert of Egypt (Nov 2000)

Egyptian-Sudanese border Red Sea coast
1st Joint Survey of the Desert Locust Winter Breeding Areas on the Egyptian-Sudanese Border (26 Feb - 8 Mar 2000)

1st Joint Survey of the Desert Locust Winter Breeding Areas on the Egyptian-Sudanese Border (26 February - 8 March 2000)

Workshops and Seminars

Central Region

FAO/WMO locust meteorology
FAO/WMO regional workshop on meteorological information needed for locust monitoring and control (Oman, April 2006)

RAMSES/eLocust2
Advanced training in RAMSES, eLocust2 and remote sensing for National Locust Information Officers in the Central Region (Egypt, March 2006)

Master Trainers Course on Desert Locust Survey, Control and Training Skills (2002)
Regional workshop to train nationally designated Master Trainers in locust survey, control and training skills (Oman, October 2002)

Master Trainers Course: Locust Survey

Master Trainers Course: Locust Control

Master Trainers Course: Training Skills

Master Trainers Course: Participants

Contingency Planning
Regional workshop on contingency planning in EMPRES/CR countries to discuss the concepts, components and constraints of planning for locust emergencies (Egypt, February 2002)

EMPRES Contingency Planning Seminar: Programme

EMPRES Contingency Planning Seminar: Participants

EMPRES Contingency Planning Seminar: Conclusions

EMPRES Contingency Planning Seminar: Photos

Master Trainers Course on Desert Locust Survey and Control (2000)
Train the Trainers Course on Locust Survey and Control (Oman, January 2000)

The five trainers from FAO, NRI and the Wolverhampton University

Oman Train the Trainers Course: Locust Survey

Oman Train the Trainers Course: Locust Control

Oman Train the Trainers Course: Training Skills

Desert Locust Survey
Regional Training course on Desert Locust Survey (Yemen, March 1998)

Yemen/ Desert Locust Survey

Western Region

Improved techniques
Workshop on Improved Application Techniques and Novel Survey Methods (Mauritania, November 2001)

Microlight Aircraft for Desert Locust Survey

A Novel 4 Wheel Drive Vehicle for Survey and Control

The Use of Metarhizium for Desert Locust Control

Workshop Participants

Desert Locust Survey & Control
CLCPANO Regional Desert Locust Workshop (Libya, March 2001)

South-West Asia

RAMSES/eLocust2
Regional workshop for National Locust Information Officers from South-West Asia on the advanced use of eLocust2, RAMSES and remote sensing imagery (India, June 2006)

Desert Locust Survey & Control (Pakistan, 2000)
FAO National Training Course on Locust Survey and Control (Pakistan, July 2000)

Survey pictures in Pakistan (July 2000)

Control pictures in Pakistan (July 2000)

Desert Locust Survey & Control (Iran, 1997)
FAO National Training Course on Locust Survey and Control (Iran, March 1997)

FAO Locust Training Course I.R. Iran

Chabahar, I.R. Iran

Desert Locust Survey & Control (India, 1996)
FAO National Training Course on Locust Survey and Control (India, September 1996)

Inter-regional

Desert Locust Information Officer workshops
DLIS conducts an annual inter-regional workshop that brings together national locust information officers from English-speaking countries in the Central and South-west Asia regions and regional locust organizations. The workshop is a forum for informal discussions, problem-solving and improvements in data management and early warning, involving the use of new technologies such as eLocust2, eLocust2Mapper, RAMSES, MODIS and greenness maps.