Jodhpur, Sept. 16 -- Nearly 32% of Rajasthan, covering around 1.10 lakh sq km, has been identified as highly or very highly suitable for desert locust activity, according to a new study. While the western desert emerged as the primary habitat for early-stage locust activity, adult locusts and swarms could potentially spread into central parts of the state, it said. The study was conducted by SK Mafizul Haque and MD Mahabube Alam Khan of the University of Calcutta's department of geography, and Amlan Das of its entomology laboratory under the department of zoology. Published in the journal Remote Sensing Applications: Society and Environment, it used locust occurrence records from 1986 to 2021 and environmental data to develop habitat-suitability models for four stages-hoppers, bands, adults and swarms. The researchers found that 9% of Rajasthan fell in the very-high-suitability category and another 23% in the high-suitability category. About 36% of the state had moderate suitability, while the remaining 32% was classified as having low suitability. The classification could help authorities concentrate field surveillance in areas where locust activity is most likely, the researchers said. The study found that vegetation, temperature, wind speed and soil characteristics were among the key factors influencing habitat suitability. The western districts, particularly Jaisalmer and Barmer, emerged as the most important areas for the early stages of locust development. Very highly suitable habitat for hoppers covered around 28,795 sq km, while the corresponding area for bands was about 17,995 sq km. Jaisalmer and Barmer also accounted for the main concentration of very highly suitable habitat for swarms. For adult locusts, the very-high-suitability zone covered approximately 58,520 sq km, primarily in Jaisalmer, Barmer and Bikaner districts. Moderately suitable areas extended towards Jodhpur and Ajmer, indicating that adult locusts could have a broader range than hoppers and bands. The study identified Jaisalmer, Pokaran, Bap, Gadra Road, Kolayat, Fatehgarh, Serwa, Phalodi, Ramsar, Chohtan and Bhaniyana among the core hotspot tehsils....