For those concerned about the unregulated and potentially uncontrollable spread of genetically modified organisms, there was a lot at stake at the 16th Conference of the Parties to the UN Biodiversity Convention.
The 16th Conference of the Parties (COP) of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in Cali produced few encouraging results with regard to the Precautionary Priniciple and the effective regulation of genetically engineered organisms, particularly gene drives.
Things have changed at the Convention for Biological Diversity, CBD, says Jim Thomas who participated in most of the Convention’s COPs (CBD Conference of Parties) and MOPs (Meeting of Parties to the CBDs Biosafety Protocol) in this century.
As biotechnology reaches ever greater capabilities to “re-design” nature, some want to turn the CBD into a place for the promotion rather than regulation of biotechnology. Parties to the Convention cannot let this happen, warns German-based NGO Save Our Seeds.
As scientists and environmentalists grapple with synthetic biology, a crucial debate failed to materialize at the IUCN regional meeting in Bruges, Belgium. Instead, the meeting revealed significant concerns about the organization’s policy development process on synthetic biology and its implications for nature conservation.
At the 26th Meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA) to the Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD), Gene Drives received significant attention.
