Plant Science 156 (2000) 257 – 258
Book review
www.elsevier.com/locate/plantsci
Methods for risk assessment of transgenic plants III. Ecological risks and prospects of transgenic plants, where do we go from here? A dialogue between biotech industry and science, Edited by Klaus Ammann, Yolande Jacot, Vibeke Simonsen and Go¨sta Kjellson, Birkhauser Verlag, Basel, 1999. 260 pp. ISBN 3-7643-5917-X; sFr. 128, DM 148, o¨S 1081 (Hardcover)
The introduction of transgenic crop plants into the agricultural production system has met with widespread public concern for a variety of reasons. Among the most controversial issues is the possi-ble impact that the large-scale cultivation of such plants may have on the environment, either di-rectly by virtue of the introduced trait (e.g. resis-tance to herbicides or insect predators), or by escape of the transgene into a related, sexually compatible wild species. It is thought that such gene transfer, if it occurred, might create novel weeds, possibly with novel properties that make it difficult to control. The list of possible effects even includes the (local) eradication of the original wild species. Is this fear based on a realistic appraisal of the existing danger? Are such events likely to occur? Many feel that hard scientific data neces-sary to answer this question do not exist, because we do not have sufficient experience with the existing transgenic crops, and crops with new properties are created at an ever-increasing rate. Is this feeling justified?
This question was the main topic of an interna-tional symposium held in Bern (CH) with the objective to encourage discussion about the open issues between the major actors, i.e. scientists, members of the biotech industry and regulators. ‘‘For this purpose, modules have been set up in a specific sequence, in order to encourage a learning process, which will end up in some resolutions, resolutions which can be supported by everyone attending the symposium’’ (cited from Klaus
Am-mann’s introductory speech). The present book contains the proceedings of this symposium and allows to faithfully follow the proposed learning process by working through the eight sessions: Ecological effects of transgenes; Modelling in risk assessment; Short-term, long-term effects and standardisation of limits; Monitoring methods; Population genetics; Decision procedures, har-monisation, Methodological lacunas; Conclusion, strategies, where do we go from here? The confer-ence, and thus the book, terminates with a short poster session and a final summary. At the end of every session, the ensuing discussion is repro-duced. The reader thus not only gets a feeling for the way the respective contributions had been received by the audience, but it is through these discussions that the industrial viewpoints and those of the regulators become known. The fact that the individual contributions to these discus-sions are faithful transcripts from the spoken lan-guage makes for vivid reading but not always for easy comprehension.
Where are we, then, today in terms of risk assessment for transgenic crops, what are the tools we can use for this process of decision-making, and do we have a sound scientific basis that allows us to be confident about our decisions? According to the present book, we do have detailed informa-tion on some specific cases, we do have modeling tools that may be helpful in certain well-defined conditions, we do have certain mechanisms and structures tor decision-making at our disposition — but nowhere is our knowledge sufficiently com-prehensive that extrapolations from specific stud-ies to a new question, or even an extension of the specific case into a more general context would be permitted. Scientists are able to provide much interesting information but this does not necessar-ily correspond to the type of information a deci-sion-maker would absolutely need to know in
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order to make a sound decision. Why? Because genetic and environmental interactions are too complex to be squeezed into simple predictions. Furthermore, the considerations to be taken into account for such decisions go largely beyond pure science and concern a wide range of sociological and political issues.
This book is a valuable contribution to the discussion about risks related to the massive use of transgenic plants. Several important issues and principles are identified, methodological lacunas are made obvious, and areas with urgent need for action are pointed out. The reader may be
disap-pointed because he will not close the book know-ing what the risks and prospects of transgenic plants are, nor what his opinion should be about a particular issue. However, he will have the satis-faction to be abreast with the state of the art in this domain.
Gu¨nther Hahne
Institut de Biologie Mole´culaire des Plantes,
CNRS,
12, rue du Ge´ne´ral Zimmer, 67084 Strasbourg, France
E-mail: gunther.hahne@ibmp-ulp.u-strasbg.fr
