Biotech Updates

Impacts of GM Crops on Biodiversity

March 18, 2011

A review on the Impacts of GM Crops on Biodiversity authored by Janet E. Carpenter is published in the Landes Bioscience online journal. The Review covers potential impacts of the introduction of genetically engineered crops on: crop diversity, biodiversity of wild relatives, non-target soil organisms, weeds, land use, non-target above-ground organisms, and area-wide pest suppression.

Overall, the review finds that currently commercialized GM crops have reduced the impacts of agriculture on biodiversity, through enhanced adoption of conservation tillage practices, reduction of insecticide use and use of more environmentally benign herbicides and increasing yields to alleviate pressure to convert additional land into agricultural use.

The review can be downloaded at https://www.landesbioscience.com/journals/gmcrops/CarpenterGMC2-1.pdf.