As the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) prepares to take a position on synthetic biology in conservation, Joann Sy of Pollinis warns that we must not reframe nature conservation as a project of engineering but view it as a project of care, restoration and restraint.
Should genetic engineering be used to kill off invasive species, or make corals resistant to warmer waters? Should endangered species be genetically modified in the name of nature conservation? The controversy over the role of genetic engineering in nature conservation continues to intensify. Two motions have been submitted for adoption by the World Congress of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) later this year.
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.
National and international civil society organisations asked the IUCN Policy Development Working Group on Synthetic Biology to halt the development of the relevant IUCN policy until all criteria for inclusive participation and impartial oversight are fulfilled.
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.
“Should nature conservationists back genetic engineering of wild species in order to counter the impact of human activity?” This is the question that IUCN members will face at the IUCN Members’ Assembly in Marseille.
Civil society organisations wrote to the IUCN leadership to express their concern about the Genetic Frontiers for Conservation report.