Has the clearing of native vegetation increased the frequency of locust and grasshopper outbreaks in Australia?
In the case of the migratory locust, Locusta migratoria in eastern Queensland, clearing of natural forest and woodland and establishment of introduced pastures and crops may have increased outbreak frequency. Plagues of this species were not recorded before the 1970s. Widespread clearing of brigalow scrub from the 1950s onwards has increased the area of suitable habitat for locust breeding. Also, the severity of outbreaks of the wingless grasshopper have increased over the last five decades due to the expansion of improved pastures on the western slopes and tablelands of NSW.
