GM Plants Gone Wild

Category(-ies): Plant Legal News and Issues

Three incidents in the US involving genetically modified plants have caused concern about lack of regulations (or lack of enforcement). The incidents include an experimental rice being mixed in other rice for human consumption, an experimental bent-grass “escaping” and a failure to research the environmental impact of growing plants to produce pharmaceuticals in Hawaii.

When Genetically Modified Plants Go Wild from The Christian Science Monitor

Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 2:57 PM

A New Green Revolution in India?

Category(-ies): Plant Legal News and Issues , Plants, Food and Medicine

India and the US have recently entered an agreement to conduct joint agricultural research in biotechnology. The research will focus on the development of drought- and heat-resistant crops suitable for the Indian climate. There is little new land available for agricultural development in the Asian nation, but increased food production is needed to feed the growing population. Analysts note that India's agricultural production lags behind countries that grow biotech crops. Leaders hope that biotechnology can increase farm productivity enough to help the country meet its economic and development goals.

Critics are concerned that farmers will become dependent on large biotech firms and doubt the claims of increased productivity promised by the industry. Farmers have definitely shown interest in modified crops however, rapidly expanding their planting of genetically modified Bollgard cotton seeds since Monsanto was first allowed to sell them in India in 2002.

Link:
Bush, Biotech Can Transform India’s Countryside from Bloomberg

Posted by Eric La Fountaine at 11:42 AM

Who Shall Be the Keeper of the Names?

Category(-ies): Botanical Resources , Plant Legal News and Issues

Two centuries after Linnaeus developed his binomial classification system that brought order to the naming of species, there is still no universally accepted central authority for registering the names of life forms on earth. One and a half to two million species have been described and named. New discoveries are being made regularly. Internationally accepted rules for describing a species have been established by agencies such as the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN) and the International Association for Plant Taxonomy (IAPT). Whatever name and description meeting these standards is published first, is the name that is accepted for the organism. Names can be published virtually anywhere. An officially accepted central registry of species names would be a welcome boon for biologists.

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Posted by Eric La Fountaine at 11:47 AM

Environment Canada's Ecological Gifts Program

Category(-ies): Plant Conservation , Plant Legal News and Issues

One of the greatest threats to biodiversity is the destruction of habitat for human development projects. Environment Canada's Ecological Gifts Program, created in 1995, provides tax incentives to citizens who want to protect wild lands. Private and corporate land owners can receive a tax deduction equal to the value of their gift for donations of ecologically sensitive land or for setting up special property rights restrictions limiting development of the land - in this way property owners may remain on their land while it is protected. Groups can also receive tax benefits by purchasing land for protection. Environment Canada coordinates the needs of recipient organizations to the wishes of donors and makes sure that the agencies are committed to protecting the land in perpetuity.

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Posted by Eric La Fountaine at 3:13 PM

Research Literally Blown Away

Category(-ies): Plant Legal News and Issues

Florida's climate makes it an important state in terms of agricultural production - it ranks second in the US in the production of fresh vegetables. Scientists at some of the state's major agricultural research centres suffered serious setbacks, as years of research literally blew away in one of the most damaging hurricane seasons to hit the area. Wilma was particularly destructive, destroying 12 greenhouses and damaging 55 of 60 buildings at the Belle Glade centre. Many studies will be delayed until next season; some researchers will have to start their experiments over from scratch. Several research centres are petitioning the Florida state government for funds to rebuild infrastructure and programs. As centres rebuild, they have to expect that they will be hit by destructive storms again in the future and use the opportunity to construct more secure facilities to prevent future setbacks and losses of valuable research.
Link:
Agriculture labs blown for a loss from the Palm Beach Post (story expired)

Posted by Eric La Fountaine at 3:00 PM

Pyrethrins

Category(-ies): Plant Legal News and Issues , Plants, Food and Medicine

As the dangers of some of the chemicals used as pesticides have come to light, gardeners and farmers have sought less damaging compounds to battle pests. The use of organic pesticides, such as pyrethrins derived from chrysanthemum flowers, has increased. Organic does not necessarily mean non-toxic. Gardeners should use caution when handling the pesticides and resist overusing them. Overuse can kill beneficial insects, may lead to the development of resistance in pest species and surplus chemicals in runoff from fields and gardens may concentrate in streams.

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Posted by Eric La Fountaine at 1:42 PM

How Big is Your Ecological Footprint?

Category(-ies): Plant Conservation , Plant Legal News and Issues

It has been ten years since the book, Our Ecological Footprint was published by UBC professor William Rees and Mathis Wackernagel. The book introduced the concept of ecological footprint analysis, described by Rees in an interview, "Pick a population, examine its consumption patterns for a considerable period of time, and then calculate the total area of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems needed to produce all the goods and services that the population consumes, and to assimilate the wastes that the population produces" (Aurora Online). The analysis methods have been carefully refined over the years and produce a fairly accurate estimate of the amount of land required to produce and dispose of the goods used by a region or an individual.

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Posted by Eric La Fountaine at 1:51 PM

Balancing the Debate on Natural Resource Management

Category(-ies): Plant Legal News and Issues

In the last century human settlement has become increasingly urban: almost half of the global population now resides in cities or towns - developed countries average over 70%. The shift has brought changes in the way land use and natural resource decisions are made. Some would argue that a growing urban voice has dominated environmental debate, influencing policy in rural areas without sufficient input from the people who inhabit those areas. Efforts are on the rise to give greater voice to rural residents.

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Posted by Eric La Fountaine at 1:44 PM

An End to Illegal Timber Exports in Myanmar?

Category(-ies): Plant Conservation , Plant Legal News and Issues

Myanmar is a country rich in natural resources, but fifty years of internal conflict over the control of its natural riches have thwarted effective development of their economic use. Timber, the country's primary natural resource, has been unscrupulously exploited by the elite of Myanmar and neighbouring countries. In October 2005, Global Witness released a report on the devastating effect of the unsustainable timber harvest to Myanmar's northern forests. The report stated that over 95% of the wood being exported to China was illegal. In the past four months illegal logging and timber trade at the China-Myanmar border has come to a near stop.

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Posted by Eric La Fountaine at 12:08 AM

Preserving British Columbia's Agricultural Lands

Category(-ies): Plant Legal News and Issues , Plants, Food and Medicine

British Columbia, like the rest of Canada, has vast land area with overall low population density. Although abundant, only around five percent of the land in the province is suitable for agriculture. Fertile soils can take thousands of years to develop. Land suited to agriculture is often the most desirable for other human uses as well. Recognizing that BC's agricultural land was a precious limited commodity that would come under increasing pressure for development, the provincial government established the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR), in the mid 1970s.

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Posted by Eric La Fountaine at 2:16 PM