GMO Biosafety Research 2015, Vol.6, No.2, 1-6
1
Research Report Open Access
Genetically modified organisms, a potential threat to biodiversity of Azerbaijan
Mustafayeva I. Aytan, Ahmadov S. Ismat
Human Rights Institute, Baku State University, Azerbaijan
Corresponding author email
GMO Biosafety Research, 2015, Vol.6, No.2 doi: 10.5376/gmo.2015.06.0002
Received: 14 Oct., 2014
Accepted: 30 Dec., 2014
Published: 17 Jan., 2015
Copyright
©
2015
Mustafayeva and Ahmadov, This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which
permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Preferred citation for this article:
Mustafayeva and Ahmadov, 2015, Genetically modified organisms, a potential threat to biodiversity of Azerbaijan, GMO Biosafety Research, Vol.6, No.2 1
-
6
(doi
Abstract
In this present article, the potential impact of genetically modified organisms (GMO) on biodiversity has been analyzed.
The potential impact of GMOs on biodiversity has been a topic of interest both in general as well as specifically in the context of the
Convention on Biological Diversity. The concerns about possible risks of GM products to the biodiversity are often similar from
region to region, but the impacts from those risks may differ considerably, particularly between developed and developing countries
such as Azerbaijan. The present review highlights scientific debates and discusses the potential effects of GM crop cultivation on the
environment considering the impacts caused by cultivation practices of modern agricultural systems.
Keywords
Biodiversity; Genetic engineering; Genetically modified Organisms; species; Transgenic plants; Ecosystems
Introduction
Biodiversity is an indispensable natural and genetic
resource for our planet, for each country and region.
Existing today biodiversity has been formed over 3,5
billion years as a result of evolution. Biodiversity is
the key for sustainable development of humanity. Its
environmental, social, economic and aesthetic
importance represent an undeniable fact. Formed over
many centuries, biodiversity plays a special role in the
formation of culture, self-knowledge and development
of every nation. It is a peculiar force in self-formation,
resistance to harmful signs of environment and
regeneration. Biodiversity is diversity in structure of
all living existing on the Earth biological entities, in
intraspecific gene, species and ecosystem. Variety of
species on our planet is the main discrete and notable
element of biodiversity. Emergence of these species is
result of process and happens with various speeds in
different groups of specie. Biodiversity is an indicator
of environmental health; its reduction determines the
level of degradation of natural species. According to
the latest data, global biodiversity is scored around 14
000 000 (Global biodiversity., 2000). However,
identified species on our planet are said to be around 1
750 000 species. It is also known that species are
constantly renewed, disappeared and created. There
are such taxonomic groups in which that processes
take very short time (hours, days, months), while in
others it takes thousands or million years. It is
currently proven, that during the different levels of
evolution there were such times when some species
“flourished” or completely disappeared in a mass
order (Heineman and El-Kaway, 2012; Archibald and
Fastovsky, 2012).
Before the creation of human, emergence of species
was always superior to their destruction. However
after human started conscious life, his pressure to
nature began to gradually grow up. The reason for that
pressure was linked with his wish to maximally
benefit from nature. With the development of science,
engineering and technologies, aspiration for more
prosperous life increased pressure on nature. This
pressure has intensified in the last hundred years. One
of the saddest consequences of pressure on nature is
the steady reduction of biological diversity. Nowadays,
only 20 species of plants constitute 90% of food ration
of people. Any loss of the one of those 20 species can
create serious danger for food security in our planet.
For instance, for the last 80 years, 97% of species of
vegetables had been lost in USA. Out of 7000 species
of apples only 900 remained, out of 2600 species of
pears only 330 remained. In India, 30 years ago, there
were about 30 000 species of rice, and today 75% of
the rice planted territory consists only of 10 species.
