AIR Contributes to Desert Locust Spatial Information Monitoring

On June 12, two scientists from AIR, Prof. HUNAG Wenjiang, Executive Director of the CAS Key Laboratory of Digital Earth Science, and associate researcher DONG Yingying were invited to participate in and deliver expert reports at the Desert Locust Spatial Information Monitoring Summit where experts worldwide conducted in-depth exchanges on the topics such as desert locust monitoring and early warning and multi-national joint prevention and control of the locusts ravaging Asia and Africa. The video conference was organized by the United Nations to promote joint prevention and control measures to ensure agricultural and animal husbandry production and food security in case of humanitarian crisis.

At the summit, Prof. Huang introduced the work of "Monitoring and Assessment of Desert Locust in Africa and Asia" working group on locust monitoring, early warning and loss assessment. The working group has been producing spatial products of locust migration path, core breeding areas, and key harmed areas throughout the Africa and Asia since the locust outbreak in 2018, and routinely publishing scientific reports and metadata to the public via CASEarth Data Sharing and Service Portal.

Dong Yingying introduced the monitoring of locust migration path, current and future breeding areas, agricultural and animal husbandry loss assessment of key Asian and Afrian countries including Kenya, Ethiopia, Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia. Accurate monitoring was also conducted using high-resolution satellite data in severely affected areas.

Since February 2020, AIR has released eight issues of the Monitoring and Assessment of Desert Locust Report, and will continue to pay attention to the dynamics of locust disaster.

From June to July is crucial for the affected Asian and African countries where the crops are in growth period or harvests, while the continuous rampage of locusts are threatening their food security.