The GE American Chestnut – Restoration of a Beloved Species or Trojan Horse for Tree Biotechnology?

Written by Rachel Smolker, Ph.D. (Biofuelwatch) and Anne Petermann (Global Justice Ecology Project).

Synopsis: Why rush the GE chestnut into regulatory review when even its own creators recognize it cannot fulfill the goal of species restoration? Because the engineered chestnut – using “nothing but a wheat gene” to “restore a beloved iconic species” is a public relations tool for winning over public opinion toward GE trees, and for the use of biotechnology as a “tool of conservation”. This is a strategy that biotechnology industry proponents expect will soften public opposition and open up the potential for commercializing a wide array of GE trees.