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The development of biotechnological techniques will allow the industry to produce transgenic plants with altered traits that may affect the chance of invasion and alter organism-interactions in natural communities. In order to assess the hazards from these new transgenes, information on a wide range of subjects is required. It is essential that the most relevant research data are obtained quickly by the use of the most effective research methods available.

The different subcategories listed in Chapter 3 are examined in relation to the risk assessment of GMPs in natural and agricultural ecosystems. Methods which are suitable as test procedures for specific items are suggested. Subcategories lacking relevant methods are indicated in the margin as “need for new methods” and commented on, while interesting research subjects which have had little investigation are marked “research need”. For the discussion of subjects under the categories “Genetic engineering techniques”, “Inserted trait” and “Test procedures”, see Chapters 8, 9 and 10, respectively. A list of the references for each subcategory is shown in Section 6.1 and a list of reviews for each category is shown in Section 6.2.

The emphasis of this chapter is on the practical procedures and theoretical framework which are currently applied or have been suggested for ecological risk assessment of transgenic plants. In this context, reference will be made to the general concepts and principles for risk assessment which have been established for other fields of environmental problems. This means that the experience from handling risk from toxic compounds in nature (ecotoxicology), simulation of processes (modelling) and management of populations and genetic resources (conservation ecology) will be included. Also, the experience from introduced species and monitoring invasion and gene-flow will be discussed.