The sustainability of humanity depends in large measure on our ability to bring mankind into a lasting equilibrium with Nature. However, while the rate of human population growth is declining, the absolute number of people on Earth continues to increase. This places an ever-mounting pressure on the Earth’s limited environmental and natural resources.

In 2006, Sustainability Science Abstracts was expanded and merged with the subfile Human Population and Natural Resources Management. This new expanded database explores all aspects of sustainable development, human population and demography topics, as well as societal issues involving natural resource management. Also covered are the topics of conservation of natural resources, ensuring the attainment and continued satisfaction of human needs in the present as well as maintaining the potential to meet the needs and aspirations of future generations. This involves the maintenance of species diversity and protection of the habitat/ecosystems they rely upon. The economy is an important aspect of sustainability and should be seen as “a means to an end” not an end in itself. Coverage includes relevant papers, reports, books and reviews from standard peer-reviewed scientific journals. To ensure comprehensive coverage, material from conference proceedings and hard-to-find gray literature has also been summarized.