Media Contacts:
Global Justice Ecology Project: Steve Taylor, Communications Director steve@globaljusticeecology.org
Indigenous Environmental Network BJ McManama, Public Relations and Web Manager bjmcmanama@ienearth.org
Speakers:
[Panama City, Panama, 28 October 2025] As governments gather in Panama for the new Subsidiary Body on Article 8(j) of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) — the body charged with advancing the protection of biodiversity through the recognition of Indigenous Peoples’ rights and traditional knowledge — Indigenous leaders, scientists, and environmental justice advocates issued an urgent call to uphold the CBD’s Decision IX/5 de facto 2008 moratorium on genetically engineered (GE) trees.
Speakers at the press conference, organized by Global Justice Ecology Project, warned that the rapid advancement of GE (including gene-edited) trees represents a growing threat to forests, ecosystems, and communities throughout Latin America — particularly as these technologies are now being tied to forest carbon offset schemes that enable large polluters like Microsoft to continue emitting greenhouse gases.
“Brazil’s legalization of genetically engineered eucalyptus trees, and their potential use as carbon offsets, is a dangerous step backward,” stated Valentina Tereshkova, Gender Justice and Forests Campaign Coordinator with the Global Forest Coalition. “For decades, eucalyptus monocultures have driven deforestation, water contamination, and land grabs — and genetic engineering only magnifies these harms. Using GE trees in carbon-offset deals with major tech companies gives polluters a false green image while threatening communities, biodiversity, and climate integrity. GE tree plantations are not climate solutions — they’re high-risk experiments disguised as climate action. We call on governments to uphold the precautionary principle and stop this false fix.”
In Brazil and Chile, gene-edited GE tree technologies are advancing rapidly from laboratory testing toward commercial deployment. In Brazil, FuturaGene, a subsidiary of Suzano S.A., recently secured regulatory approval for a “triple-stacked” genetically engineered eucalyptus designed for glyphosate tolerance, insect resistance, and increased yield. Meanwhile, gene-edited trees are being promoted as part of a new “bioeconomy” — engineered for faster processing into bioplastics, cellulosic materials, and other industrial products. They are further asking Brazil to forego regulations on their gene-edited GE trees.
“Genetically modified trees pose serious ecological risks that we are only beginning to understand,” explained Dr. Ricarda Steinbrecher of the Federation of German Scientists. “Unlike crops, trees live for decades and are integral to complex forest ecosystems — they communicate underground, share nutrients, and adapt to changing conditions. Introducing foreign genes into that balance can disrupt not only the tree itself but the entire network of life around it.
“Risk assessment for GM trees is extremely complex. Their pollen and seeds can travel vast distances, making containment impossible, and we lack the long-term data needed to understand their impacts. Yet some GM trees, like eucalyptus, are already being approved without essential testing. When trees are engineered to resist decay for carbon storage, they stop returning nutrients to the soil and supporting biodiversity. We are removing a vital source of life from forest ecosystems. These threats are profound, and releasing genetically modified trees into the wild should not be taken lightly.”
While industry narratives frame GE trees as “innovation” or “sustainable intensification,” Indigenous Peoples and forest-dependent communities are already facing devastating consequences. Industrial tree plantations — now including GE and gene-edited varieties — are deepening land grabs, water depletion, contamination, and displacement, while undermining biodiversity and Indigenous sovereignty.
“The deep relationship that my people have had with trees for thousands of years reflects a sacred reciprocity — a coexistence where we give and receive in balance with the land,” stated Thomas Joseph of the Indigenous Environmental Network. “This relationship has been gravely damaged by colonial forces that severed our connections to Mother Earth.
“We call on the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity to fully implement the 2008 decision to stop all use of genetically modified trees. The precautionary principle is not enough — we already know these GE trees are dangerous. Once released, they can spread contamination for generations. Genetically engineered trees, like GE pine and eucalyptus used in industrial plantations, threaten the harmony of life. They destroy biodiversity and replace native forests with sterile monocultures.
“We urge all governments and CBD Parties to honor Decision IX/5 (2008) and prohibit the commercialization of GE trees. Only by respecting Mother Earth and rejecting her commodification can we restore balance and protect life for future generations.”
Across Latin America, the impacts are already visible:
These consequences undermine Indigenous Peoples’ rights under Article 8(j) of the CBD, which affirms their authority to maintain and protect traditional knowledge, as well as their human and cultural rights.
“We are deeply concerned about the growing push to create global economies based on the destruction and commodification of nature,” said Gustavo Ulcue Campo, Indigenous leader of the Nasa people of Colombia and member of the National Commission for Indigenous Territories. “For Indigenous Peoples, the most powerful way to protect biodiversity and address the climate crisis is through the recognition, demarcation, and titling of our ancestral territories.
“For thousands of years we have cared for these lands, which today hold the greatest concentration of biodiversity in Colombia. Yet our communities continue to face displacement and violations of our rights from monoculture tree plantations and so-called ‘nature-based solutions’ that are, in reality, false solutions. Guaranteeing Indigenous land rights is essential to resist these destructive projects, including the imposition of genetically modified trees. Defending our territories is defending life itself.”
About Global Justice Ecology Project
Global Justice Ecology Project (GJEP) works at the intersection of ecological and social justice, focusing on forest protection, climate justice, and challenging destructive corporate-driven policies. For over 20 years, GJEP has exposed false solutions to the biodiversity and climate crises and worked in solidarity with Indigenous Peoples and social movements around the world.
About Indigenous Environmental Network
Established in 1990 within the United States, IEN was formed by grassroots Indigenous peoples and individuals to address environmental and economic justice issues (EJ). IEN’s activities include building the capacity of Indigenous communities and tribal governments to develop mechanisms to protect our sacred sites, land, water, air, natural resources, health of both our people and all living things, and to build economically sustainable communities.
NOTES TO EDITORS:
