Non-target and biological diversity risk assessment.

Abstract

This chapter discusses the following procedures for risk assessment in Bt cotton using the non-target risk assessment model developed by scientists of the GMO ERA Project ("International Project on GMO Environmental Risk Assessment Methodologies", which is a continuation of the GMO Guidelines Project, which was launched by scientists of the International Organization for Biological Control Global Working Group on "Transgenic Organisms in Integrated Pest Management and Biological Control"): (1) identify relevant functional groups of biological diversity associated with adverse effects, (2) list and prioritize species or ecological processes, (3) identify potential exposure pathways and adverse effects pathways, and use these to formulate and prioritize risk hypotheses, and (4) develop an analysis plan and suggest designs for experiments to test risk hypotheses.

Bayesian vector transmission model detects conflicting interactions from transgenic disease‐resistant grapevines

“…), leading to indirect non‐target effects (Hilbeck et al. ). This includes enhanced spread of vector‐borne pathogens from alterations of the relationships between host, vector, and pathogen.…”

Assessing unintended effects of GM plants on biological species

“…Finally, the model characterizes socially acceptable variation in the environmental values and potential adverse environmental effects, generates equivalence limits in the selected species attribute, and uses equivalence tests (Patterson and Jones 2005) to determine if the effect of the GM plant is equivalent to the effect of the non-GM plant. Early versions of parts of this ERA model were developed by scientists involved in the ''GMO Guidelines'' and ''GMO ERA'' projects that worked on case studies involving GM insecticidal plants in different countries of the developing world (Andow and Hilbeck 2004;Birch et al 2004;Hilbeck et al 2006Hilbeck et al , 2008.…”

“…Several approaches to environmental risk assessment (ERA) of unintended effects on biological species have been proposed (Dutton et al 2003;Garcia-Alonso et al 2006;Romeis et al 2008), but these are specifically tailored for a subset of GM plants, viz., insecticidal plants expressing Cry toxins. In this short paper, I expand on a different approach (Andow and Hilbeck 2004;Hilbeck et al 2006Hilbeck et al , 2008, summarizing and extending these to illustrate in a hypothetical case how this approach characterizes risk.…”

Potential impact of genetically modified Lepidoptera‐resistant Brassica napus in biodiversity hotspots: Sicily as a theoretical model

“…Environmental risk is defined by the probability that the environment will be exposed to an adverse effect (exposure assessment) and the likelihood that such an adverse effect will occur, given such exposure (effects assessment) (Andow & Zwahlen, ; Hilbeck et al ., ).…”