IIMYC   23581
INSTITUTO DE INVESTIGACIONES MARINAS Y COSTERAS
Unidad Ejecutora - UE
libros
Título:
Global Framework for Implementing Consistent Ecological Risk Assessment of Pesticides for Sustainable Agriculture
Autor/es:
UNSWORTH JOHN .B. ; . LINDERS J.B.H.J; COBB GEORGE; VOLZ D. ; PARKER RONALD ; CHEN WENLIN; DUTRA CALDAS E. ; REBELO R; CARAZO ELIZABETH; CESIO VERONICA; MIGLIORANZA KARINA SILVIA BEATRIZ
Editorial:
IUPAC
Referencias:
Año: 2013 p. 74
Resumen:
When the practice of agriculture first began about 10,000 years ago in the Fertile Crescent of Mesopotamia (part of present day Iraq, Turkey, Syria and Jordan) edible seeds were being gathered by a population of hunter/gatherers. Cultivation of various crops then followed as the population became more settled and farming became the way of life, at which point ways of overcoming pests and diseases were of great importance if a large loss in yield was to be avoided, with the ever present possibility of famine for the population. Indeed, the first recorded use of a pesticide is of sulphur being used by Sumerians 4500 years ago to control insects and mites. Even today, with advances in agricultural sciences, losses due to pests and diseases have been estimated at 26-29% for soybean, wheat and cotton, and 31%, 37% and 40% for maize, rice and potatoes respectively 1 . Pesticides have had a long history in protecting the food supply for the growing world population, which has increased from approximately 6 billion in 2000 to 7 billion in 2011, with a projection to 9 billion in 2050. The rate of increase in population is greatest in areas which can be classified as scientifically emerging regions, particularly regions in Africa and Asia. The challenge of feeding the growing population whilst, at the same time, lifting millions out of poverty is daunting. Yet if sustainable farming practices are adopted, agriculture can continue to provide critical ecosystem services, such as water regulation and carbon controls, while still producing higher yields of food. At the same time, agriculture is the dominant influence on ecosystem health, with approximately 40 percent of the Earth?s land cover used for crop production and pasture. Clearly, the future of farming, food supply, and protection of natural resources are completely interdependent 2 . In order to increase food production to feed the growing population there has been an exponential growth in agricultural outputs during the last decade, which has boosted pesticide use significantly in many scientifically emerging regions of the world. As the intensity of agricultural production in these countries has increased, pesticide application has also increased and the potential ecological impact has become a growing concern. In many countries, risk assessments are routinely carried out before pesticides can be registered for use. Thus, in the USA the Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) conducts ecological risk assessments to determine what risks are posed by a pesticide and whether changes to the use or proposed use are necessary to protect the environment. Before allowing a pesticide product to be sold on the market, the US EPA ensures that the pesticide will not pose any unreasonable risks to wildlife and the environment. This is done by evaluating data submitted in support of registration regarding the potential hazard that a pesticide may pose to non- target fish and wildlife species 3 . Similarly in Canada ecological risk assessment is part of the information package required by Health Canada?s Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) to support registration of chemical pesticides and, for major forestry and agricultural uses, the requirements have been harmonized with those of the USA, and are similar to those of other pesticide regulatory systems 4 . In Europe active substances used in pesticides can be authorised only if they have no harmful effects on human and animal health and do not cause unacceptable effects on the environment, considering in particular the contamination of water and the impact on non- target organisms (such as birds, mammals, aquatic organisms, bees, arthropods, soil organisms and flora). The ecological risk assessment of pesticides assesses the impact that their use has on non- target living organisms and on soil, water and air 5 .