Risk assessment of new technologies such as the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in agricultural production is enormously complex. It cannot be limited to analysis only from the perspective of the natural sciences; socio economic factors need to be considered as well. Active promotion of GMO-free areas is discussed here as an alternative means of technological development. Disadvantaged and ecologically sensitive areas such as the European Alps are suitable for territorial application of this concept. The state of the current debate about the impacts of GMOs on regional development in disadvantaged and ecologically sensitive regions is presented. This is followed by the results of a survey on the social acceptance of GMO-free areas conducted in 1999 in Austria. These results suggest that the creation of GMO-free zones in the Alps is an idea worth pursuing.
