SEO/BirdLife urges limits on locust treatments in Albacete

The environmental organization SEO/BirdLife has expressed concern regarding the locust control measures planned by the Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha in the eastern municipalities of Albacete. The proposed treatments to combat the Mediterranean locust plague are set to take place within the Special Protection Area (ZEPA) for Steppe Birds, which is part of the Natura 2000 network.

SEO/BirdLife acknowledges the damage locusts cause to crops but warns that agricultural protection should not justify the use of widespread or insufficiently controlled treatments in protected areas. The organization specifically highlighted the use of lambda-cyhalothrin, a broad-spectrum pyrethroid insecticide, during July and August. They argue this timing is critical as it coincides with a biologically sensitive period for various bird species, including the Iberian stonecurlew and the Great bustard.

The organization is calling for improved monitoring and early warning systems to allow for more localized and selective interventions during the nymphs' early life stages, rather than relying on aggressive, broad-spectrum chemical applications later in the cycle.