Locust outbreaks, which cause considerable crop losses, affect a quarter of the world’s population today. In a recent paper, scientists predict the situation will worsen with climate change, and they suggest a way forward by integrating local communities’ knowledge. Locusts are species of short-horned grasshoppers of the family Acrididae, which, under certain environmental conditions, can go from being solitary to members of massive, moving swarms. These swarms can travel large distances, destroying crops along the way. For instance, the paper’s authors describe desert locusts (Schistocerca gregaria) as among “the most destructive migratory pests in the world,” with a single swarm of tens of millions moving across 1,200 square kilometers (463 square miles). The 2020 desert locust outbreak in eastern Africa threatened more than 20 million people with the risk of acute food insecurity. Climate change is expected to make locust outbreaks worse, the authors write, citing studies that show how tropical cyclones, extreme rainfall and its resulting warm and moist soil have triggered several recent desert locust outbreaks. “Yet, it remains underprioritized in [the] climate space,” they say. Early detection is key in responding to locust outbreaks and reducing losses. However, regions like eastern Africa face challenges in early detection due to remoteness, inaccessibility and conflict, the authors add. The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has a 24/7 surveillance system on locust invasions and breeding locations that uses satellite imagery, locust, weather and ecological data from affected areas. But the authors write that verifying data through ground measurements and…This article was originally published on Mongabay