permaculture

["Lawrence F. London, Jr." <lfl@intrex.net>]

Great followup by Joe Cummins.

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: [SANET-MG] long term impact of GM canola on biodiversity
Date: Fri, 30 Sep 2005 22:11:59 -0400
From: jcummins <jcummins@UWO.CA>
To: SANET-MG@LISTS.IFAS.UFL.EDU

Hi Dale,
The British researchers have looked into the impact of herbicide
tolerant oilseed rape (canola) and maize on biodiversity. Biodiversity
includes not only weeds but invertebrates and vertebrates , noteworthy
are the impacts on songbirds. Songbirds are considered a treasure in
Britain while USA and Canada  are so consumed by immediate profit that
birds and other insect predators are not considered even though their
loss will lead to disastrous long term consequences.USDA-APHIS and the
Canadian Food Inspection Agency seem to have no regard for biodiversity
and have done little or nothing to study long term impacts on biodiversity.
Dale I think your view promotes no biodiversity on crop land but limits
biodiversity to tiny islands in an ocean of sterile mono culture. Even
that island  biodiversity will be permitted only so long as it is very
well behaved and does not encroach on the mono culture ocean. The
consequences of your thoughts point directly towards costly food
requiring expensive defense against growing predators or even worse to
famine. sincerely,Joe
Dale Wilson wrote:

> Joe,
> > "Effects of genetically modified herbicide-tolerant cropping
> > systems on weed seedbanks in two years of following crops"
> > L.G. Firbank, et. al.
> > "genetically modified herbicide-tolerant (GMHT) cropping systems
> > could influence farmland biodiversity because of their effects on
> > weed biomass and seed production... 
> > ...a switch to GMHT crops significantly affected weed seedbanks for
> > at least 2 years after the crops were sown...

> Yeah, of course.  These herbicide-resistant varieties do a good job
> controlling weeds.  That is why farmers buy them.  Rather than looking
> for species diversity *within* monocultured row crops (mostly futile
> anyway), you get a lot more diversity by maintaining hedgrows and
> adjacent wild places.  Farmers need weed control, whether done with a
> hoe or with Roundup.  The better the weed control the lower the weed
> seed production.  Is that a surprise?
>
> Dale