Genetically modified crops and the environment

Genetic modification (GM) of crops provides new crop management options (production traits) and crops with industrial, pharmaceutical, and neutraceutical applications are likely to follow. The environmental benefits and risks of growing GM crops have drawn considerable, often polarized debate. This review seeks a balanced appraisal of environmental issues, and looks at principles associated with several GM production traits. Environmental assessment needs to consider the nature of the introduced trait, in the context of the biology of the plant and the environment it will be grown in (e.g., prospects of gene flow into other species). Interactions with the target ecosystem, including the possibility of cummulative impacts from organisms already released into the ecosystem (e.g,, prospects for gene pyramiding) need to also be included in assessments. Current agricultural management practices and ecosystems have their own impacts on the environment, and it is against this background that the benefits and risks of releasing GM organisms should be judged. Before release, data collection on imparts of GMOs is temporally and spatially constrained, so caution must be exercised in decision making. Potential impacts also need to be monitored after release and the post-release monitoring framework needs scope to identify unforeseen impacts. The environmental sustainability of using GMOs will depend largely on wise management practices and monitoring must provide appropriate data to support continuing adaptation of management and regulation of GMOs.