Public attitudes towards the use of transgenic forest trees: a cross-country pilot survey

Abstract

(18)Information on public attitudes towards the use of transgenic trees in forest plantations is important in the decision-making process and policy implementation for safe tree development, particularly at the EU level. In Europe, the use of transgenic forest trees is very limited and therefore such information is completely lacking. To address this issue within the FP0905 European COST Action on the Biosafety of Transgenic Forest Trees a pioneer cross-country pilot survey on public attitudes towards the use of transgenic forest trees was conducted using young population as a focus group. This was decided mainly because this focus group represents the future consumers, policy makers or developers. Specifically, the survey aimed to: i) assess the level of young people's knowledge about transgenic forest trees, ii) identify issues of concern to them regarding the cultivation of transgenic forest trees and iii) explore whether they approve or disapprove of the use of transgenic forest trees in plantations. Purposive sampling was performed and university students of different disciplines were included in the research as sampling subjects. In total, 1868 completed questionnaires from 15 European and nonEuropean countries were analyzed. The young educated people that took part in the survey appeared to approve of the use of transgenic forest trees in plantations and would be willing to buy forest transgenic products. The potential loss of biodiversity due to a risk of gene flow between transgenic and wild trees was seen as the safety issue of most concern when considering the commercial release of transgenic forest trees. However, a serious perceived lack of knowledge about potential benefits and risks of the cultivation of transgenic forest trees was recorded in most of the countries. K-means clustering was implemented on respondents' positive responses to identify potential country patterns. No differences in patterns of public attitude towards the acceptance of the commercial growing of transgenic forest trees were observed between European and non-European countries. Extended research on public attitude issues towards the use of transgenic forest trees is strongly recommended as a basis for policy implementation on safe tree development.

Reproductive modification in forest plantations: impacts on biodiversity and society

“…In a sample of students in multiple countries (mostly European), Kazana et al . () found generally positive attitudes toward using GE of trees in plantations, but not in wild natural forests. In a sample of the public in the USA, Needham et al .…”

“…Compared to agriculture, attitudes toward GE in trees and forests are less understood and there are only a few studies of attitudes about reproductive modification in forest trees (Strauss et al, 2009). In a sample of students in multiple countries (mostly European), Kazana et al (2015) found generally positive attitudes toward using GE of trees in plantations, but not in wild natural forests. In a sample of the public in the USA, Needham et al (2015) found that attitudes were less favorable toward using GE in wild forests compared to other forestry techniques (e.g.…”

“…In the context of transgenic trees, Kazana et al . () examined self‐assessed knowledge and found that over 60% of students (mostly European) said they understood the meaning of transgenic trees and were willing to purchase GE products. However, fewer than half were aware of whether these trees could be deployed in plantation forestry (e.g.…”

“…Tsourgiannis et al (2016) compared consumer behaviors associated with GE paper products, woody biomass energy products and other wood products, and found that public safety issues and environmental impacts were among the largest concerns. Kazana et al (2015Kazana et al ( , 2016 examined perceptions toward transgenic forest plantations and found that potential for gene escape causing contamination of wild forests (i.e. gene flow between transgenic plantation trees and wild trees) was the greatest perceived risk.…”

“…high growth rates, control invasive species). Kazana et al (2015Kazana et al ( , 2016 investigated perceptions of students (mostly European) toward GE trees in plantations and found that respondents perceived several benefits, including reductions in pesticide inputs, restoration of contaminated soils and higher tree productivity. These benefits, however, may differ based on the scale of production (e.g.…”