Ecological damage in the field of green genetic engineering

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Ecological damage in the field of green genetic
engineering
Research project by order of the Federal Agency
for Nature Conservation (BfN) carried out by TU
Berlin Institute of ecology Section of Ecosystem
Science / Plant Ecology Prof. Dr. Ingo Kowarik,
Dipl.-Ing. Ulrich Heink, Dipl.-Ing. Robert Bartz
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Structure

• Why a definition of damage?
• What is a damage?
• How can damages be predicted or surveyed?
• Conclusions

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Why do we need a definition of damage?
Why do we need a definition of damage?
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Not every effect is a damage!
Why do we need a definition of damage?
Assessment

• Detrimental effects on Species A are damages

Scientific description
goals

• Aim of Conservation status of species A

• Species A is endangered

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EU-directive on the deliberate release into the
environment of GMOs (D 2001/18/EC) Art. 4
Why do we need a definition of damage?
Member States shall, in accordance with the
precautionary principle, ensure that all
appropriate measures are taken to avoid adverse
effects on human health and the environment which
might arise from the deliberate release or the
placing on the market of GMOs.
? definition of the damage as a basis for a
permit (release, placing on the market)
? Necessity of specification of the Definition
of adverse effects (ecological damage)!
? issue of a licence for release/ placing on the
market in accordance with the precautionary
principle
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Proposal of a definition of the ecological damage
in the field of green genetic engineering
What is a damage?
An ecological damage is a significant negative
effect on abiotic (soil, water, air/climate) or
biotic (animals, plants, microorganisms) subjects
of protection or on their interactions or
sustainable use.
At first a definition can only be provided at
this general level. ? A further specification is
made by the implementation!
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How can damages be predicted or surveyed?
Prediction and survey of damages
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When is a change a negative impact?
Prediction and survey of damages
? Approaches in different concepts of damage

• Evolutionary integrity no additions to the
  natural evolutionary process
• Natural variation no change of the dynamic of
  natural systems
• similarity no further damage than conventional
  agriculture
• Relevance the determination of a damage results
  from political consent

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What is the measure?
Example concept of natural variation

• Nature as a model (nature does it right)?

Example concept of evolutionary integrity

• Is there something like evolutionary integrity?

? no naturalism!
? the recurrence to subjects of protection must
be widely accepted
Ecological damage in the field of green genetic
engineering
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What is the measure?
Prediction and survey of damages
Example concept of similarity

• Conventional agriculture?
• Biological agriculture?
• legal agriculture?

? definition of harm is relative in this case but
absolute measures are necessary
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Chain of cause and effect
Prediction and survey of damages
Impulse
Effects
Technology
Processes
Kind and quantity of released GMOs, changes in
management practices and land use patterns
Spread of GMOs, hybridization with other taxa,
accumulation of toxic substances
Changes in biodiversity, of soil functions,
biocoenotic relations
Genetic engineering
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Principle of Indication
Implementation
Impulse
Effects
Technology
Processes
Spread of GMOs, hybridization with other taxa,
accumulation of toxic substances
Kind and quantity of released GMOs, changes in
management practices and land use patterns
Changes in biodiversity, of soil functions,
biocoenotic relations
Genetic engineering
Indication
effects
measuring
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Principle of Indication
Implementation
Impulse
Effects
Technology
Processes
Spread of GMOs, hybridization with other taxa,
accumulation of toxic substances
Kind and quantity of released GMOs, changes in
management practices and land use patterns
Changes in biodiversity, of soil functions,
biocoenotic relations
Genetic engineering
definition of damages
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Risks from novel crops

• Direct Risks
• Invasiveness
• Toxicity to humans, livestock and wildlife
• Gene flow to other crops, wild relatives
• Gene stacking

• Indirect Risks
• Changes in management practices
• Changes in patterns of land use

Johnson 2004
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Accuracy of prediction
Prediction and survey of damages
Impulse
Effects
Technology
Processes
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Validity of indication of effects
Prediction and survey of damages
Impulse
Effects
Technology
Processes
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The dilemma in evaluation
Prediction and survey of damages
Impulse
Effects
Technology
Processes
Validity of indicators for effects
low
high
Accuracy of prediction
high
low
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Is low validity a problem?
Prediction and survey of damages
Example Indication for the replacement of
species (e.g. parameters for spread)
Can be accepted if there are no better indicators
Precautionary principle!
should be excluded
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How should indicators be applied?
Prediction and survey of damages

• If there are valid indicators on primary levels
  of the chain of cause and effect, they should be
  applied, if the prediction of indicator values is
  easily done
• If the effects themselves cannot be measured
  accurately, they have to be estimated by
  indicators
• The selection of indicators should follow the
  precautionary principle

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Conclusions
Conclusions

• The term ecological damage is not tangible on
  a concrete level there are different points of
  view about what is a damage
• Grounds for the refusal of a license for the
  release of GMOs should focus on the precautionary
  principle
• For each damage, indicators should be applied to
  a certain level of ecological effects

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Thank you!
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(No Transcript)
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Which effects are detrimental?
Why do we need a definition of damage?
D 2001/18/EG, Annex II ... effects of consents
on human health and the environment, including
inter alia flora and fauna, soil fertility, soil
degradation of organic material, the feed/ food
chain, biological diversity, animal health and
resistance problems in relation to antibiotics.
The statutory framework is widely composed, in
which possible detrimental effects are merely
exemplified.
? Necessity of specification of the definition
of adverse effects (ecological damage)!
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Which indicator for which action?
conclusion
Impulse
effects
technology
Processes
Spread of GMOs, hybridization with other taxa,
accumulation of toxic substances
Kind and quantity of released GMOs, changes in
management practices and land use patterns
Changes in biodiversity, of soil functions,
biocoenotic relations
Genetic engineering
monitoring
release
transfer
Too late!
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Which constituents does a definition of damage
contain?
Date of event
known
Not known
probability of the occurence of an event
Statements to

• relevant subjects of protection
• Changes, which are evaluated as damages

known
Not known
Extent of potential damage
known
Not known
Type of damage
known
Not known
Different forms of uncertainty (Jaeger 2000204)
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Questions of implementation
Conclusions

• Which factors of impact are relevant?
• Where in the functional chain are negative
  impacts indicated ?
• Which indicators can be used for assessment?
• Which negative impacts are significant?
• How can subjects of protection be subdivided?

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Which factors of impact are relevant?
Implementation

• Possible factors of impact which lead to negative
  impacts
• propagation of GMOs
• crossing of genes
• changes in practices of agricultural cultivation

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Conflict with nature conservation goals
Conclusions

• Areas which are free from GMOs (Goal
  conservation of sensitive areas)

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Changes to be measured on the Descriptive level
Why do we need a definition of damage?
Changes, e.g.

• in biodiversity,
• of soil functions,
• of biocoenotic relations

? Normative framework for the assessment of
changes?
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Not every change is a damage!
Why do we need a definition of damage?
changes ? damages ? norms
1) Identification of changes descriptive
level 2) Assessment of changes as damages
normative level
? Differentiation between the descriptive and the
normative level!