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Science Forum Index » Agriculture Forum » Are GM crops a threat to biological diversity?
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| David Kendra |
 Posted: Sun Nov 09, 2003 8:58 pm |
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Are GM crops a threat to biological diversity?
November 6, 2003
AgBiotech Buzz - Richness of Maize - - Vol. 3, Issue 5
http://pewagbiotech.org/buzz/display.php3?StoryID=112
No Threat... So Far
Klaus Ammann
Director, Botanical Garden of the University of Berne
Chairman of the Biodiversity Section of the European Federation of
Biotechnology
"I have written a 60-page report with thousands of references on this
question and I have not found a single instance where there was a
detrimental effect," says University of Bern's Klaus Ammann. "But that
doesn't mean it will always be that way."
As Ammann sees it, one of the problems with determining whether GM crops
will be detrimental to biological diversity is the fact that scientists
doing the studies are still trying to find the best method to address the
question. He notes ecologists are not really trained or experienced in crop
systems. And, those systems are very different than studying wild
ecosystems.
"One of the real troubles with ecologists is that they work in habitats.
Then they go to an agricultural field and they [don't understand that
system]," Ammann says. "Even then you see that it's not a real field study.
But the work is getting better. We know much better what we are doing in the
field than 20 years ago."
"There are literally dozens of field studies being done right at this
moment," Ammann says. "The early U.S. field studies were sloppy. They were
lucky and saw only benefits. But we don't have any real long-term studies."
However, the work today will lead to the type of information that will help
scientists determine how GM crops affect biological diversity.
Until then, Ammann notes some important information does exist. First, he
notes, "It's a myth that an escaped transgene can't be taken back. They
trickle away."
Ammann points out single genes don't often persist through the generations
because a gene that is inserted in a plant often has a cost to that plant
that exceeds any benefits the gene confers to the plant, such as herbicide
resistance.
He also notes that better molecular biology techniques will allow for the
detection of very minute levels of genetic flow of transgenes. Ammann points
out that these methods could be used to argue for or against the
introduction of GMOs into different areas.
However, Ammann notes that the discussion of the effect of transgenes on
biological diversity may be addressing a very minute issue associated with
biological diversity. "A bigger threat (to biodiversity) is agriculture
itself," he says. "Nothing reduces biodiversity like an agricultural field."
For more information, visit Klaus Ammann's Page. |
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