干旱区生态环境知识资源中心

Due to their nature and effects, Desert Locust invasions are uncertain, dynamic and complex phenomena with which various actors attempt to cope. Public managers in charge of handling Locust invasions establish preventive and curative strategies of control the results of which are often difficult to assess due to the existence of long periods of remission between crises and thhe difficulties of sustaining prevention. The invasion of 2003-2005 in West Africa reactivated debate on the economic significance of this insect, on the criteria of evaluation of the preventive and curative controls, and finally on realistic strategies to cope with the risk of Desert Locust. This article presents the results of a field enquiry and of an interpretative analysis of the last invasion in Mauritania. It tackles the difficult problem of measuring the efficiency of management stratagies against the Desert based on documentary analysis and on a set of interviews. This analysis enables us to discuss the problem of efficiency of the preventive management strategies against Desert Locusts. Criticism is made about the counter-productive effects of the present "cognitive framework" of international assistance.