Report says biotech crops good for endangered wildlife.

Evidence continues to accumulate from around the world about how biotech crops are helping to preserv genetically modified (GM) herbicide tolerant crops could be used to benefit the environment, scientists . . . show that creative use of GM crops could bring back increasing numbers of endangered wildlife and birds such as skylark.

Specifically, the study found that biotech crops can:

• Prevent soil erosion: Biotech soybeans and cotton have led to a significant increase in the adoption of environmentally friendly no-till farming practices, which conserves top soil, preserves soil moisture and reduces runoff. With no-till farming, the crop residue from the previous year is left standing.

   

   

• Improve water quality: Biotech soybeans and cotton enable farmers to use more benign herbicides that rapidly dissipate in soil and water. ⁶

   

   

• Improve air quality: The adoption of no-till farming practices significantly reduce the release of greenhouse gas emissions, which may help slow global warming. (In contrast, when cultivated soil is exposed to air, organic matter is oxidized, releasing carbon dioxide — an ozone-depleting gas — into the atmosphere. ⁷)

   

   

• Increase biodiversity: Biotech cotton has been documented to have a positive effect on the number and diversity of beneficial insects in U.S. and Australian cotton fields. ⁸ In addition, the adoption of no-till farming practices creates additional wildlife habitat for birds and other wildlife.

Image Credit-biotech-zone.blogspot.in