| Ban on GE Trees Gains Momentum |
Press Release:
GE free NZ in Food Environment Inc. Thursday, 21 February 2008,
Ban on GE Trees Gains Momentum: Seen as Threat to Sustainability
International support for a ban on GE trees is growing, throwing
further doubt on claimed benefits used to justify field-trials
in New Zealand.
Over 130 organisations from around the world, including New Zealand
organisations and a Member of Parliament, have sent an open letter
to the Convention on Biological Diversity’s Subsidiary Body
on Scientific, Technical andTechnological Advice, meeting in Rome,
expressing their deep concern about genetic engineering of trees.
But the global concern signals the fact that GE Trees contradict
calls by the Prime Minister Helen Clark to position New Zealand
as sustainable, and as such pose a threat to our reputation internationally.
Already organisations like the Forest Stewardship Council specifically
exclude GE timber from certification. Such certification of producers
meeting basic environmental standards is increasingly important
for millions of consumers using their spending power to respond
to deforrestation and climate change.
"This is a wake-up call that GE trees are not only unlikely
to be a magic-bullet, but are in fact a poison chalice in terms
of promoting New Zealand as a source of clean and sustainably-produced
products," says Jon Carapiet from GE Free NZ (in food and
environment).
The concerns raised in the open letter include the fact that the
genetic manipulation being undertaken is aimed at consolidating
and further expanding a model of monoculture plantations that
has already caused serious social and environmental impacts in
many countries.
The letter provides examples of how current research would impact
on the environment, given that trees are being genetically manipulated
for:
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faster tree growth,
which would “further aggravate the proven impacts on
water resources”, and mean even greater consumption
of water by tree plantations. |
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trees with insecticide
properties to make them resistant to insects, that could
"result in the death of a large number of other insect
species, with consequent impacts on local fauna’s food
chains”. |
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resistance to herbicides,
which “would lead to even more serious social and environmental
impacts, including the destruction of local flora and impacts
on human health.” |
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higher cellulose content
that “would mean reducing the amount of lignin, the
component that provides trees with structural strength,
thus making them more susceptible to serious damage during
wind storms.” |
Trials of GE trees already underway in New Zealand were the subject
of a recent report by MAF into breaches of containment and failures
in compliance with biosecurity laws.
The breaches included incursions by rabbits that MAF played down
as a some sort of a PR stunt.
The signatories to the open letter remind country delegates that
“the last Conference of the Parties to the Convention on
Biological Diversity (COP-8) adopted decision VIII/19”, which
“recommends Parties to take a precautionary approach when
addressing the issue of genetically modified trees” and urge
them to definitely ban GE trees -including fields trials –
because of the serious risks they pose to the Planet’s biological
diversity.
ENDS |
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References: The signatories and
open letter:
Open letter to all members of the Convention on Biological Diversity
(CBD) Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological
Advice (SBSTTA) - February, 2008
The undersigned, members of organizations from countries where
research on the genetic modification of trees is being carried
out, (or has in recent years), would like to express in this
letter some of the reasons of our deep concern.
First of all, our concern is based on the fact that the genetic
manipulation being undertaken is aimed at consolidating and
further expanding a model of monoculture tree plantations that
has already proven to result in serious social and environmental
impacts in many of our countries.
In addition, the use of transgenic trees will further aggravate
the proven impacts on water resources, since one of the traits
that researchers are attempting to introduce is faster growth,
which would mean even greater consumption of water by tree plantations.
At the same time, research is being undertaken to introduce
genes that will make the trees more resistant to cold temperatures,
for the purpose of planting them in colder regions and at higher
altitudes in the mountains. This would lead to social and environmental
impacts in areas that until now have not been affected by the
impacts of current tree monocultures.
Research is also underway to develop trees with insecticide
properties, in order to make them resistant to insects like
the pine shoot moth (Ryacionia buoliana). This could result
in the death of a large number of other insect species, with
consequent impacts on local fauna’s food chains and perhaps
even on the pollinization of native flora species that depend
on those insects.
Research is also being undertaken to introduce genes that would
increase the trees’ resistance to the herbicide glyphosate,
which would lead to even more serious social and environmental
impacts, including the destruction of local flora and impacts
on human health.
Additionally, research is being carried out to develop eucalyptus
trees with a higher cellulose content for the production of
cellulose for paper and for the production of ethanol. This
would mean reducing the amount of lignin, the component that
provides trees with structural strength, thus making them more
susceptible to suffering -as well as causing- serious damage
during wind storms.
It is important to note that the last Conference of the Parties
to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP-8) adopted decision
VIII/19 (Forest biological diversity: implementation of the
programme of work), which “recommends Parties to take a
precautionary approach when addressing the issue of genetically
modified trees."
This decision is founded on COP-8’s recognition of “the
uncertainties related to the potential environmental and socio-economic
impacts, including long-term and transboundary impacts, of genetically
modified trees on global forest biological diversity, as well
as on the livelihoods of indigenous and local communities, and
given the absence of reliable data and of capacity in some countries
to undertake risk assessments and to evaluate those potential
impacts."
We therefore wish to call upon you to recommend to the Convention
on Biodiversity Convention to definitely ban GE trees -including
fields trials – because of the serious risks they pose
on the Planet’s biological diversity.
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