Chapter 4 - Risk Assessment and Management – Environment

Abstract

GM (genetic modification) crops have the potential for broad environmental impacts both because of deliberate changes made to the crop and indirect effects of these technologies on other agricultural practices. The potential impact of any GM crop on the environment therefore must be assessed before its commercialization. There are two elements of the environment that the agricultural technologies like GM crops can impact: the agricultural environment and the nonagricultural environment. The agricultural environment is that cultured by humans and is typically made up of relatively few plant species often grown as monocultures or intercropping with a limited number of species; it is influenced considerably by agricultural practices. The nonagricultural environment is the so-called “natural” ecosystem, comprising a variety of intermingled plant and animal species, but it should be recognized that humans have to a greater or lesser extent also influenced this environment. This chapter describes the key elements of assessing the risk to the environment of releasing a GM product. Potential hazards include impacts of the introduced gene on nontarget organisms and adverse effects of gene flow to sexually compatible species. Various approaches to risk management and monitoring are discussed the chapter.