The National Conservation Strategy for Australia (NCSA, 1983) provides Australia with nationally agreed guidelines for the use of her living resources. It orginated from the World Conservation Strategy (WCS, 1980) and was developed through a process of public discussion which is described in this paper. A Steering Committee was established to oversee the development of the Strategy and guide a task-force. Conservation, industry, scientific, and government, interests were all represented throughout the development of the Strategy.

In spite of the many laws and regulations regarding the development of property and the protection of open space and wildlife, developers often try to get around compliance with the law using subtle, or not–so–subtle, tactics. In some cases, they violate the law because they know that there is little or no enforcement, or, if caught, they pay the fine and charge it up as a cost of doing business which is of course tax-deductible. Over the last few years I have been involved in a status study on two species of lizards of special concern (the Orange-throated Whiptail, Cnemidophorus hyperythrus and the Coastal Horned Lizard, Phrynosoma coronatum) for the California Department of Fish and Game. During this study, I noticed several of what I call ‘developers' devious digressions’. As a biologist and environmental consultant, I have seen, over the last few decades, developers use these same ways of getting around environmental laws in Arizona, Montana, Mexico, and Australia. I have placed these digressions, detours and non-conformities, with the law in the following several categories.

Significant differences in embryonic mortality and occurrence of structural developmental defects between three separated populations of the Black-headed Gull were examined. Growth retardation was not studied.

Population ‘C’ (average 2.78 eggs per nest), living in Western Slovakia, exhibits in three-egg clutches relatively low mortality (7%) as well as a low occurrence of developmental defects (2.8%). In population ‘B’ (2.6 eggs per nest, living in Southern Moravia), breeding in a region that is intensively exploited for agriculture, the mortality is still very low (3%) but the proportion of malformed embryos increases to 15%. In population ‘A’ (2.6 eggs per nest, living in Southern Bohemia) the highest mortality was found (13%) but only 4.3% of embryos were malformed, though there was a broader spectrum of developmental defects. In this population the eggs were significantly smaller and had thinner shells.

In all the populations which were examined, the mortality and occurrence of developmental defects were higher in one-egg clutches, which were more frequent in populations ‘B’ and ‘A’ than in ‘C’.

Except for mercury, it does not seem that concentration of toxic substances in eggs could be responsible for the observed differences in reproductive success. An increase in embryonic mortality at locality ‘C’ is probably evoked by malnutrition in garbage specialists.

An examination of the relationship between human needs (above and beyond the basic physiological needs and concomitant consumption of resources) has re-emphasized the importance of control of human population in order to meet several other, also important, human needs. Development of human resources to their fullest potential requires utilization of additional resources beyond those necessary for the provision of basic physiological needs.

A preliminary model of resource requirements to meet human needs suggests that resource requirements for meeting the human needs for safety are considerable, those for meeting the cognitive and esteem needs are moderate, while those for meeting belongingness and love, aesthetic, and self-actualization, needs are minimal. Both industrialized and non-industrialized societies can adequately meet basic human needs, but industrialized societies may the better meet some of the higher human needs.

The coniferous shrub Oliver’s plum yew (Cephalotaxus oliveri) is endemic to southern China with potential medicinal use for cancer treatment and ecological value in sustaining China’s threatened subtropical forest ecosystems. Comprehensive understanding of the current spatial patterns of this vulnerable species vis-à-vis climatic conditions is crucial for its sustained economic use and conservation. Based on 100 reliable occurrence records and nine environmental variables, MaxEnt and QGIS programs were used to predict the potential geographical distribution of C. oliveri in China. Combined with percentage contribution and permutation importance, the jackknife statistical method was used to test and evaluate pertinent factors restricting the potential distribution of C. oliveri. The response curves of critical bioclimatic factors were employed to determine the potential species range. The current core potential distribution areas were concentrated in China’s central and south-west regions. Temperature was identified as the crucial determinant of species distribution patterns, particularly the mean temperature of the coldest quarter. Precipitation was a necessary but not critical secondary factor. These findings should inform the ex situ conservation and cultivation of C. oliveri in China and its introduction to other parts of the world for similar purposes.

Interdisciplinary research has wide applicability to the environment and its management, and few areas can rival Brazilian Amazonia in terms of interdisciplinary challenges. Brazil's Ministry of Science and Technology currently makes interdisciplinary research an explicit priority, and to this end directs financing to large networks of researchers working in different institutions and fields. An impressive number of programmes support and carry out interdisciplinary research in the region, with varying success. Shifts in funding priorities are needed to maximize further advances.

While scientific research highlights the threats of invasive alien species (IAS) to the environment and human livelihoods, another voice is rising that recognizes their beneficial impacts. With evidence increasing of the contrasting impacts of some IAS, the lack of communication between science and society makes decision-making processes more complex. Here, we consider the beneficial aspects of invasive alien plant species and take examples from other life forms to argue that, over time and space, the detrimental impacts of IAS might endanger sustainable livelihoods by increasing invasion debt manyfold. We therefore suggest that future studies reporting the positive impacts of IAS and those encouraging the management of IAS through their utilization should include value judgements that acknowledge the potential risks involved in the practice and the scale and context specificity of such studies. Studies highlighting the negative impacts of IAS should also recognize the context dependency of their findings and emphasize the benefits to be gained from the management of the IAS. We provide a more complete picture of IAS impacts that could help to inform management decisions in the face of different potential choices and the possible impacts of these choices on sustainable livelihoods in the long term.