Environmental and nature conservation aspects related to the cultivation of genetically modified organisms

In this study, the Federal Environment Agency analyses the relevance of environmental and nature conservation aspects in the cultivation of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). For this purpose, legislation in the EU, reports and recommendations of the European Commission as well as national GMO or nature conservation regulations are analysed. In addition, scientific basis for the need to take into account nature conservation issues will be discussed and spatial overlaps between possible GMO cultivation areas with areas protected by nature conservation law will be discussed. Possible scenarios for taking into account nature conservation issues are presented. These range from inclusion during the European authorisation procedure to scrutiny obligations and requirements for potential GMO cultivation under national rules.