The seminar is the first in a series organised by the Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research as part of National Biodiversity Month activities.

Dr Mark Lonsdale, CSIRO Entomology, will discuss CSIRO's new $3 million project examining the effects of genetically modified plants, animals and other organisms on the environment.

A panel of speakers including CSIRO Plant Industry's Dr TJ Higgins, Biotechnology Australia's Mr Craig Cormick, Agrifood Awareness Alliance's Ms Paula Fitzgerald and science journalist Mr Graeme O'Neill will lead a discussion with an emphasis on audience input.

"CSIRO is committed to examining the effects of GMOs on the environment and the establishment of a new multidisciplinary research team from seven of our Divisions strengthens this commitment," says Dr Lonsdale.

"We'll be working in partnership with regulatory bodies to ensure the sustainable use of GMOs in agriculture," says Dr Lonsdale. "We'll also be looking at the broader effects of GMOs on the environment and whether those impacts are good, bad or neutral.

"Researchers will be developing tools for predicting effects of new GMO technology on biodiversity and sustainability."

The project will look at the development of new tools for assessing the risks of GMOs, study the possible impacts of existing GM crops and theoretically assess the risks and ecological impacts of some GMOs that may be developed in the future.

It will help provide information on wider ecological impacts to aid informed national debate and to help the decision-making process that governs releases of GMOs.

"Most importantly," says Dr Lonsdale, "we want to keep the public informed about what is happening with this new research activity and this seminar is just one way of doing that while giving us the opportunity to hear what the community thinks or wants to see happen."

Dr Lonsdale says the public has a lot of questions about gene technology generally and forums like these are an ideal place for people to air them.

"The seminar is set up so that the audience has access to a range of expertise and outlooks on GMOs, which means they can really ask a lot of questions and hear a lot of information that is backed by sound science.

"To be involved in this research from the outset is really going to have an impact on its outcomes, and that's whether you're doing the science or you're an interested spectator."

CSIRO Plant Industry

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