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The article introduces the concept of ecosystem services for a broad scientific readership in South Africa and contends that its attendant research offers a theme for the engagement of a diverse range of scientific disciplines and stakeholders in the development of sustainability science. It then provides an overview of published ecosystem service studies that have dealt with the country, revealing that there were large gaps in the information on these services. Research shows that human activities are contributing to a decline in the quantity and quality of these services. If the potential of research on ecosystem services are to be realized, more direct interaction and development of an interdisciplinary understanding between the different domains of science are required .

Focuses on the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South Africa, on August 2002. Earth-system science; Indication that the global environmental crisis has changed the parameters of scientific research; New burden on the scientific community as it inevitably expands its influence over political decision-making; Organizational base of earth-system governance; Financing of earth-system governance.

WORLD LEADERS DEFINED A CLEAR agenda for sustainable development with the adoption of Agenda 21, the Rio Declaration on Environment anal Development, and the UNCED-related conventions. Ten years later, however, progress towards the goals established at the Rio Earth Summit has been slower than anticipated. Some advarice has been made in adopting measures to protect the environment through science and technology, but conservation measures are far from satisfactory. Agenda 21 and the principles established in Rio remain as relevant today as they were in 1992, but the global context has changed. The Science and Technology Community (S & TC)§ has to take into account globalization, the paradigm leaps in information and communication technologies, social dislocation in many parts of the world, and the spread of HIV/AIDS. In meeting the challenges of Agenda 21 and beyond, the S & TC is aware that political will is the key to success. Practical steps are needed to establish the credibility of the Johannesburg Summit in carrying forward the sustainable development agenda in meaningful and measurable ways. Partnerships with a variety of stakeholders are essential for ensuring the commitment of all parties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]