Ecological impact of GM crops: time for a sober scientific assessment

Assessing the environmental impact of genetically modified (GM) crops requires more than just a tunnel vision approach which looks at hypothetical risks, this article argues. Instead, it suggest that the approval of GM crops and new conventional varieties with potential risk should be subject to prior assessment for adverse impact on the environment, asserting that identifying problems pro-actively is substantially better than corrective action after the problem has surfaced. <br /><br />With reference to South Africa, the author identifies the typical concerns which surround GM crops regarding their adverse impact on natural ecosystems. Such concerns include: invasion of nature by GM crops outcrossing of GM crops with wild species secondary ecological impacts super pests and weeds impact on biodiversity impact of GM on the purity of other crops. Concluding points include: the present serious damage to biodiversity comes from conventional invasive species. However, primary threats to biodiversity and ecosystems are population pressure, sprawling urbanization, industrialisation, uncontrolled commercial harvesting of indigenous plants, and inadequate law enforcement. recognition should be given to the beneficial role that breeding of improved varieties and GM technology has and is playing in good production efficiency and security, with concomitant benefits to society and the environment<br /> the endless polarized debate on GM can be short-circuited by having comparative GM, conventional and organic side-by-side impact studies on environment done by a group of credible independent scientists efforts to manipulate concerns about hypothetical GM risks into impending disasters should be exposed for what they are - scare-mongering. <br /><br />