Abu Dhabi, 15 October 2025 — In a widely anticipated but deeply concerning decision, IUCN members have implicitly endorsed the use of genetic engineering in nature conservation — despite insufficient scientific evidence and the absence of effective regulations to manage its risks.
Abu Dhabi, 8 October 2025 – The world’s most influential nature conservation organisation will decide whether to promote genetic engineering as a tool for nature conservation at this year’s IUCN World Conservation Congress in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Brussels, 14 March 2025 – The Council of Ministers today reached an agreement on a position regarding the deregulation of genetically modified (GM) plants. In the Committee of Permanent Representatives (COREPER), the Polish EU Presidency managed to secure a narrow majority for its proposal of 19 February.
Berlin and Brussels, 23 January 2025 – A new report released today by Save Our Seeds highlights the increasing use of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the development of genetically modified (GM) plants, raising significant new concerns about their safety.
Brussels, 8 January 2025 – On January 7, 2025, the Polish EU Presidency released a new compromise proposal on the deregulation of plants genetically engineered through gene-editing techniques like CRISPR-Cas. The proposal does little to address the significant regulatory gaps created by this draft law.
Nairobi, Kenya, 17 May 2024 — Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) are currently discussing controversial technologies in Nairobi. One such technology is engineered gene drives, a form of extreme genetic engineering designed to spread its modification throughout an entire species and persist in the environment.
Berlin, 1 December 2022 — Ahead of the UN Biodiversity Conference COP 15 over 140 civil society organisations from Africa, Asia, Europe, Australia and the Americas have issued a joint manifesto exposing alarming risks of environmental releases of genetically engineered gene drive organisms which could lead to irreversible ecological consequences and drive entire species into extinction. Gene drives use new…
Marseille, France — On Friday, 10.09.2021, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN)’s World Congress voted on a controversial motion questioning the use of genetic engineering in nature conservation. The IUCN members approved this landmark motion, which paves the way for a global dialogue on the future of new forms of this engineering, called synthetic biology, including gene drive organisms.
Marseille, France, 6 September 2021 — Thousands of scientists, conservationists, and civil society members are gathered at the World Conservation Union (IUCN) General Assembly this week to negotiate on the most controversial environmental conservation governance policies in its 70 year history. Among the most contentious debates is about new and emerging genetic engineering and the risks this entails to conservation…
Berlin, 13. November 2020 — The European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) has published an assessment on whether the currently existing European guidelines for the risk assessment of genetically modified insects are sufficient for the risk assessment of genetically modified Gene Drive insects.