Of forests and time in the culture of possession
Forest biotechnology is moving on a separate path, away from U.S. agbiotech business models. Now is the time to define its research charter broadly defined to the benefit of more of the world's forests, well beyond its current focus on intensively managed GE forest plantations. This
became evident when forest biotechnology officially took a separate path during the UN's Food and Agricultural Organization's AgBiotech Conference held in Guadalajara Mexico in March 2-6, 2010. My aims here are twofold: 1) to map forest biotechnology's path away from U.S. agbiotech business
models although its momentum can be traced to forestry's long timelines, a feature notably absent in agriculture, and 2) to broadly defined its research charter, a research charter defined here as forest biotechnology sensu lato. I propose that forest biotechnology's narrow focus on
planting GE plantations be exchanged in favor of a research charter which emphasizes policy-relevant climate change research, basic research, and even molecular manufacturing. In recognition of its separate path from agbiotech models, forest biotechnology sensu lato should focus on
both naturally regenerated and planted tropical forests.
Keywords: Convention on Biodiversity; domestication; forest biotechnology; genetic modification (GM) trees; genetically engineered (GE) trees
Document Type: Research Article
Affiliations: Forest History Society & National Evolutionary Synthesis Center, Durham NC, USA.
Publication date: 01 December 2010
- The International Forestry Review is a peer-reviewed scholarly journal that publishes original research and review papers on all aspects of forest policy and science, with an emphasis on issues of transnational significance. It is published four times per year, in March, June, September and December. Theme editions are a regular feature and attract a wide audience.
The IFR is part of The Global Forest Information Service - GFIS
International Forestry Review has an Impact Factor of 1.705 - Editorial Board
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