Ranking matrices as operational tools for the environmental risk assessment of genetically modified crops on non-target organisms

Although the ranking tools will continue to need further refinement, we could demonstrate that this procedure allows to swiftly select the most important suite of species and processes from a large number of organisms. This expert-driven process increases ecological realism and transparency in risk assessment and tailors it to the particular receiving environment, thus, overcoming important deficiencies of the current approach that has attracted persistent criticism. We recommend balancing ecological requirements with practicability criteria and realism in the test strategy. At present, the ranking is abundance-oriented and, thus, excludes rare and/or endangered species that are sensitive to disturbances. We suggest additional selection criteria to strengthen nature conservation and off-field aspects.