Insect infestation

An insect pest infestation is a recently detected insect pest population, including an incursion, or a sudden significant increase of an established insect, disease agents or weed population in an area leading to damage to plants in production fields, forests or natural habitats and causing substantial damage to productivity, biodiversity or natural resources (adapted from FAO, 2019).

Risk factors

Higher temperature, severe and extreme weather events and drought stress can all result in reduced vigour of trees, making them more vulnerable to outbreaks of native and introduced pests and diseases. For example, the dieback of millions of hectares of pine forests caused by outbreaks of native bark beetles in Central America, Europe and North America is associated with climate change, impacts of extreme weather events, and, in some cases, inadequate forest management practices (FAO, 2020b).

Favourable climatic conditions, disruption of ecosystems and negligence of crop/forest hygiene contribute to growth in insect populations which can cause substantial damage regularly. In many cases, long distance spread of insects results from transportation of infested goods.

Risk reduction measures

Following principles of sustainable plant production, sustainable forest management and integrated pest management practices are the best approach for control, focusing on diversified production systems, regular surveillance, preparedness before potential outbreaks, and a rapid response to prevent escalation to unmanageable scales (Guzewich et al., 1997). Post disaster needs assessment (PDNA) is designed to evaluate immediate needs for recovery and restoration for better disaster response (HIP).

Latest Insect infestation additions in the Knowledge Base

Update

'The impact of climate change on the local level, for instance the impact on agricultural productivity, outbreaks of insect pests and changes in water resources are difficult to predict due to the scarcity of monitoring equipment and systems,' said Dr Rob Marchant, from the University of York’s Environment Department...

University of York
Photo by IFDC CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 http://www.flickr.com/photos/ifdcphotography/5716797442
Update

'While this rising temperature poses problems for the suitability of food staples like bean, banana and sorghum, cassava suitability is likely to be the exception to the rule... Research shows that it will brush off the higher temperatures,' said Andy Jarvis, a climate change scientist at the International Centre for Tropical Agriculture...

The New Humanitarian
Documents and publications

The intention of this map is to give a quick overview for decision makers on supra-regional or national level about the risk exposure of the population to seismic hazards and landslide susceptibility. The classification used here runs from yellow (few

National Institute for Seismology, Vulcanology, Meteorology and Hydrology
Comisión Permanente de Contingencias
Instituto Nicaraguense de Estudios Territoriales
Servicio Nacional de Estudios Territoriales
Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources
Update

This Saturday, from drought-stricken Mongolia to Himalayan communities threatened by glacial melt, Climatedots.org will bring people together to hold rallies and remind everyone of the extreme weather events that are happening in their communities because of climate change.

United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR)
Documents and publications

This book is intended to provide an overview of the concept of ecosystem approach to disaster risk reduction (Eco-DRR), natural resource management and disaster linkages, incorporating Eco-DRR concepts in various phases of disaster management, including post disaster recovery in wide range of human and natural environmental settings.

National Institute of Disaster Management (India)
by Flickr user GoGap / Simon Hooks, Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 2.0, http://www.flickr.com/photos/gogap/332911486/
Update

'Non of the country in our region have a long term policy on integrated water resource management. In most cases there aren’t any disaster risk reduction and prevention strategy and action plan,' said the Executive Director of Regional Environmental Center of the Caucasus...

Financial, the, Business News & Multimedia
Update

Lacking the compelling images of floods, earthquakes and tsunamis, the worsening food crisis in the Sahel region of western Africa is struggling to attract the attention it deserves, writes Donna McSkimming for the Sydney Morning Herald, and a call for media to report on the risks of 'seemingly unremarkable phenomena - such as erratic rainfall and insect pests...'

Sydney Morning Herald, Fairfax Digital Network
Documents and publications

This brochure stresses that adapting food systems to climate change is essential for promoting food security and poverty alleviation, as well as for the sustainable management and conservation of natural resources. It also presents how the Food and

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations - Headquarters
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