Teman-teman yang baik, Ada permintaan dari teman-teman Bolivia untuk solidaritas memprotes percobaan transgenik kentang, karena negara itu merupakan salah satu pusat keragaman hayati kentang. Bagi yang berminat ikut tanda tangan, silakan beritahu saya lewat email, atau ke teman di Third World Network yaitu Chee YOke Ling ( Chee Yoke Ling <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>) atau lebih baik langsung ke organisator protes yaitu: Elizabet Bravo pada alamat email yang tertera di teks ini. Salam Hira > > > > > > >-----Original Message----- > >From: Carol KALAFATIC <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >Date: Friday, June 09, 2000 1:58 AM > >Subject: [csdgen] URGENT- Help Stop GE Potatoes in Bolivia ! > > > > > >>Biotech Activists ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) > >>Posted: 06/02/2000 By [EMAIL PROTECTED] > >>============================================================ > >> > >>Dear friends: > >> > >>The Biosafety Committe of Bolivia has approved the release of Genetically > >>Engineered (GE) potatoes for trial studies. > >> > >>FOBOMADE (Foro Bolivia de Medio Ambiente y Desarrollo) in calling to > >support > >>the following Declaration against this releases. > >> > >>If you want to support, please write to : [EMAIL PROTECTED] > >> > >>Sincerely > >> > >>Elizabeth Bravo > >> > >>COORDINADORA RED POR UNA AMERICA LATINA LIBRE DE TRANSGENICOS > >> > >> DECLARATION ON THE INTRODUCTION OF TRANSGENETIC POTATOES IN BOLIVIA > >> > >>We, the undersigning organizations, are making the following DECLARATION > in > >>relation to the freedom solicited by the PROINPA Foundation and Leeds > >>University to introduce the transgenetic potato with resistance to > >nematodes > >>in Bolivia: > >> > >>CONSIDERING THAT: > >> > >>Bolivia is the center of origin of the potato. The genetic diversity of > the > >>potato is so high, that within an ayllu (a familiar farming unit) up to 70 > >>varieties can be found, from sour and semi-sour to sweet. Recent studies > >>have demonstrated that 235 species of potatoes exist, between wild and > >>cultivated. > >> > >>The potato is a basic component in assuring the food sovereignty of > >Bolivian > >>farming families and of the country. The potato is the most important > basic > >>food in the country. > >> > >>In Bolivia there exists a high risk of genetic contamination by lateral > >>transfer of the introduced genes, from the transgenetic potato to these > >>traditional varieties. This would produce serious impacts in biodiversity, > >>including: genetic erosion, disappearance of some varieties by genetic > >>derivation, and the disappearance of traditional cultural practices > >>connected to the potato. > >> > >>Genetic contamination can be produced by natural methods of > >>cross-pollination, and also by already existing cultural practices in the > >>country, like the exchange of seeds between farmers, which has been an > >>important practice to maintain and increase the great genetic variability > >of > >>this crop. > >> > >>The presence of wild relatives in the entire Bolivian Andean region is > very > >>high. The contamination of the wild relatives by the transgenetic potatoes > >>could generate the appearance of weeds, impossible to control, which would > >>be endowed with characteristics of resistance acquired in the process of > >>genetic transformation. > >> > >>The introduced characteristic, which confers resistance to nematodes, > could > >>affect other ground-dwelling micro invertebrates. Many of these > >>micro-invertebrates play a fundamental role in the nutrient cycle, in the > >>health of the ground: they serve as food for larger organisms like frogs, > >>birds, etc. The disappearance of these micro-invertebrates could generate > a > >>cascading ecological impact, affecting the whole trofic chain > >> > >>During the tests there is the risk of the appearance of nematodes which > are > >>resistant to the toxin introduced in the potato, which will be converted > >>into "super plagues," impossible to control. > >> > >>The studies being done in England are still not finalized. However, they > >>want to initiate tests in Bolivia, where, as both Urwin and Lilley from > >>Leeds University have recognized, the risks are greater. > >> > >>The Agreement on Biological Diversity has recognized the principle of > >>precaution in relation to the use of biotechnology. In the text of the > >>Protocol of Biosafety (or Protocol of Cartegena), adopted in January of > >this > >>year, the precautionary principle is recognized as the directing element > of > >>biosafety. This means that we cannot risk the principal resource that a > >>country like Bolivia has, which is their biodiversity, to favour a > >>technology about which exist more doubts than certainties. > >> > >> WITH THESE ANTECEDENTS, WE DEMAND: > >> > >>That a moratorium should be called on all the field tests and new realises > >>into the environment of transgenetic crops in Bolivia, particularly of > >those > >>crops which have wild relatives or traditional varieties in the country. > >> > >>That other alternatives are searched for, based on the great genetic > >>richness of Bolivia to resolve the problems that we are today trying to > >>solve with modern biotechnology. With the existing genetic richness of the > >>potato in Bolivia it does not make sense that techniques like genetic > >>engineering are utilized, when the potentialities of existing varieties in > >>the country have not even been studied. > >> > >>The advantage of doing studies with our own varieties and utilizing > >>traditional methods is that we will have, as results, varieties that will > >be > >>able to be used and control easily by peasants. > >> > >>In the minutes of the meeting of the Advisory Committee on Realises into > >the > >>Environment (ACRE) from May 7, 1998, which analyzed an application done by > >>Leeds University, in the United Kingdom, the Committee emphasized that > >these > >>potatoes could not enter the food chain of the British community. The > risks > >>to human and animal health of the presence of proteasa inhibitors and of > >>indications of the resistance to antibiotics are too great, and only small > >>scale evaluations are allowed. The application done by PROIMPA who > >>collaborated with Leeds University in this project, says that the material > >>resulting from the transformation will be donated to the poor farmers in > >>Bolivia, which will make it inevitable that they enter into the Bolivian > >>food chain and environment. Furthermore, this case is put as "Developing a > >>paradigm for safe adoption of GM crops with a poverty focus: a specific > >>example of nematode resistance for potato in Bolivia" > >> > >>FOBOMADE [EMAIL PROTECTED] > >> > >> > > -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Archive: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/
