Morocco’s aggressive campaign against desert locusts has helped prevent a larger regional infestation, with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reporting that Moroccan authorities treated more than 87,000 hectares in June as they battled the most significant outbreak in Northwest Africa.
The FAO’s latest Desert Locust Bulletin, released on July 7, identified Morocco as the main hotspot of locust activity in the region, where widespread groups of immature adult locusts formed after spring breeding.
Most hopper groups and bands had already developed into flying adults by the end of June, raising concerns about the possible formation of swarms, FAO warns.
Moroccan authorities carried out control operations over approximately 87,363 hectares, accounting for nearly all locust-control efforts recorded in the region last month.
Region-wide operations more than doubled compared with May, largely due to Morocco’s intervention, FAO said.
The campaign appears to have limited the outbreak’s immediate impact on agriculture. While FAO warned that some adult groups could still form small swarms, the organization indicated that many locusts are expected to migrate southward toward Mauritania and the wider Sahel as seasonal ecological conditions become more favorable there.
The latest bulletin suggests that Moroccan surveillance and treatment operations have played a key role in preventing the situation from escalating further. By contrast, neighboring Mauritania reported only isolated and scattered adult locusts during June and treated just 68 hectares, although the country is expected to become a major summer breeding area in the coming weeks.
