Pest Management in the Context of Climate Change

Climate change is altering the distribution, abundance, and life cycles of pests, posing a significant threat to global food security and agricultural sustainability. Rising temperatures, shifting precipitation patterns, and extreme weather events are creating favorable conditions for pest proliferation, leading to increased crop losses and economic damage. Conventional pest management strategies, often reliant on chemical pesticides, are becoming less effective and environmentally sustainable in the face of these changes. Recent studies have highlighted the need for a paradigm shift towards climate-smart pest management (CSPM), which promotes an integrated approach combining ecological, biological, and cultural control methods. Despite these advancements, there remain significant gaps in understanding the full impact of climate change on pest dynamics and the development of sustainable management strategies.

This Research Topic aims to understand the impact of climate change on pest dynamics and distribution, develop effective and sustainable pest management strategies in the context of climate change, and enhance the resilience of agricultural systems to pest pressure under changing climatic conditions. Specific questions include how changes in temperature, precipitation, and extreme weather events influence pest populations, their life cycles, and their range expansion. Additionally, the research will explore alternative control methods that minimize reliance on pesticides and promote ecosystem resilience.

To gather further insights into the multifaceted relationship between climate change and pest management, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:

- Climate change impacts on pest biology, ecology, and distribution

- Adaptation of pest management practices to a changing climate

- Climate-smart pest management (CSPM) strategies and approaches

- Integrated pest management (IPM) in the context of climate change

- Biological control and biopesticides under climate change

- Host plant resistance and crop resilience to pest pressure

- Monitoring, forecasting, and early warning systems for climate-informed pest management

- Socioeconomic and policy implications of climate change on pest management

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Policy Brief
• Review
• Systematic Review

Keywords: climate-smart pest

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.