(introductory text...)

Ecology and development
Natural and social science, pure and applied
The three dimensions of Ecology
Holism and selectivity in science and in common sense
The essential paradox

From whichever angle we approach the various ecological problems that arise in development (and there are several possible angles: whether as scientist, engineer, or planner; as politician, farmer, or shepherd) sooner or later our expectations are frustrated as we confront one or another face of a general paradox. Paradoxes are characteristically difficult to tie down in clear succinct statements. The following approaches to the present paradox pursue some of its implications and consequences as a prelude to tracing some highlights of its history during the 1970s.