The Australian Plague Locust Commission (APLC) is a joint venture of the Australian Government and the member states of New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Queensland, created in 1974 to manage outbreaks of the
Australian plague locust,
spur-throated locust and
migratory locust
The migratory locust (''Locusta migratoria'') is the most widespread locust species, and the only species in the genus ''Locusta''. It occurs throughout Africa, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. It used to be common in Europe but has now become ...
in eastern
Australia.
With 19 staff members at its headquarters in
Canberra and field offices in
Narromine
Narromine ( /næroʊmaɪn/) is a rural Australian town located approximately 40 kilometres (25 mi) west of Dubbo in the Orana region of New South Wales. The town is at the centre of Narromine Shire. The 2016 census recorded a population o ...
,
Broken Hill and
Longreach
Longreach is a town and a locality in the Longreach Region, Queensland, Australia. It is the administrative centre of the Longreach Regional Council, which was established in 2008 as a merger of the former Longreach, Ilfracombe, and Isisford ...
, it is jointly funded by the Commonwealth government and by the Australian states of
New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
,
Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
,
South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
and
Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, establishe ...
.
Activities
The APLC conducts regular surveys of locust populations and migrations and carries out control of locust outbreaks by means of aerial application of
pesticides;
traditionally these were chemicals, but more recently APLC has been a major contributor to the development of a
biological pesticide
A Biopesticide is a biological substance or organism that damages, kills, or repels organisms seens as pests. Biological pest management intervention involves predatory, parasitic, or chemical relationships.
They are obtained from organisms inclu ...
in collaboration with
CSIRO and
LUBILOSA
LUBILOSA was the name of a research programme that aimed at developing a biological alternative to the chemical control of locusts. This name is an acronym of the French title of the programme: Lutte Biologique contre les Locustes et les Sauteri ...
scientists. It also conducts educational outreach and training courses for landowners, businesses, and local governments, including international consulting work in
Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...
,
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
and
South America
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sout ...
.
Responsibility to control limited outbreaks of the pest species resides with the states. The APLC undertakes and coordinates activities when species migrate or have the potential to migrate across state borders and subsequently cause damage to agriculture in more than one of the member states.
The establishment of the APLC allowed for the first use of
remotely sensed data to forecast locust populations in Australia.
In 2010, the APLC together with the states identified the potential for a significant infestation of the Australian plague locust. A coordinated effort to minimise damage was undertaken. It was estimated the activities resulted in a saving of $963 million from the expenditure of $50 million.
See also
*
Agriculture in Australia
Although Australia is mostly arid, the nation is a major agricultural producer and exporter, with over 325,300 employed in agriculture, forestry and fishing as of February 2015. Agriculture and its closely related sectors earn $155 billion-a-y ...
References
External links
Australian Plague Locust Commission*
Commonwealth Government agencies of Australia
Locust swarms
1974 establishments in Australia
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