Locusts under the looking glass
2001-08-21 17:54
Montpellier, France - Two hundred specialists from 41 countries met here Tuesday to discuss action against locusts and grasshoppers, a resurgent menace which has ravaged crops and pastures in three countries so far this year.
The meeting will assess the widespread use of insecticides against
these pests, a technique condemned by environmentalists as unsound.
The experts will also hear ideas for harnessing biological warfare
against locusts, such as fungal weapons targeted to kill off these
insects but without harming other wildlife.
The four-day gathering, which ends on Wednesday, is being organised by the Orthopterists' Society, a 15-year-old association of experts in locusts, grasshoppers and crickets.
These insects have been a peril since ancient times but have staged a major comeback in recent years despite massive and costly use of chemical sprays.
In 2001 alone, locusts have attacked crops in Peru and Russia,
while China's state media reported on August 2 that swarms had
infested 14.6 million hectares of grassland
across the north of the country.
Other big outbreaks have occurred in Madagascar, from 1997-2000, and across the Sahara belt, from the Red Sea to the Atlantic, from
1987-89.
Some climate experts predict the problem will worsen because of
global warming.
Warmer temperatures will encourage locust populations to move into previously colder climates, and prolonged droughts will cause
swarms to range further afield in search of food, they suggest. - Sapa-AFP
- SAPA