2-Planst: IUCN president says GM crops threat to diversity

[GENET <genetnl@xs4all.be>]

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TITLE:  Conservationist says GM crops threat to diversity
SOURCE: Reuters, by Laura Vinha
DATE:   March 8, 2002

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INTERVIEW - Conservationist says GM crops threat to diversity

HELSINKI - Genetically modified crops are threatening the global diversity 
of animal and plant species and costing livelihoods, a leading 
conservationist said yesterday. Cheap, mass-produced genetically modified 
(GM) crop species were growing at the cost of local livelihoods and 
species, Yolanda Kakabadse, president of the World Conservation Union 
(IUCN) and a former environment minister of Ecuador, said. Kakabadse also 
echoed some consumer groups' fears that GM foods could harm humans. 
Stringent tests, such as those applied to medicines, were needed to ensure 
they were safe. The biotechnology industry says genetical engineering, 
which can improve crop yields and nutrient content as well as virus 
resistance and pesticide tolerance, offers a way to feed the world's 
growing population.

Kakabadse said Mexico, where U.S.-produced GM corn now dominates, showed 
how GM crops could harm local communities. Corn is a leading GM crop, and 
although mainly used as livestock feed, it is a staple food in Latin 
America. "Thousands of people in local communities are losing their markets 
of their own typical seeds of corn which reflect the diversity of species," 
Kakabadse told Reuters in Helsinki where she is attending a seminar for 
women environment ministers. "(Local producers) are not only unable to sell 
their products but they are also unable to substitute them with anything 
else," she said.

Instead of introducing GM crops in developing countries, Kakabadse said 
funds should be invested into bolstering production of local varieties, 
which she said would support communities and satisfy global demand. The 
Swiss-based IUCN links 79 governments, 754 non-governmental organisations 
and 10,000 experts.



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| European NGO Network on Genetic Engineering |
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