Is there enough knowledge of environmental effects of GE organisms to assess the risk of ecological damage?
To understand this issue, it is important to remember that, in nature, the interdependence of living organisms is enormously complex. It is the result of an evolution that has taken millions of years. This “Web of life” is still incompletely understood in spite of extensive research. But it has been well established that changes even of a few organisms in the system may have farreaching effects on the whole ecology causing important damage in the worst case. It is also important to remember that, differently from any previous releases of man-made products into the environment, released genetically engineered genes or parts of them may in the worst case multiply and spread indefinitely not only to related species but, through horizontal transfer, also to other kinds of organisms like bacteria and viruses (see Horizontal transfer – an introducton [EL]). It is impossible to recall a released GE gene. A “successful” gene may ultimately spread all over the world and persist indefinitely. Be
Related Questions
- By allowing for the risk of technical failure and emphasising knowledge gaps, is there a risk that INFFER will steer environmental managers away from innovative projects?
- What type of information should be presented in the environmental setting section of ecological risk assessments?
- Is there enough knowledge of environmental effects of GE organisms to assess the risk of ecological damage?
