ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book is structured as an organized exploration of the parallel development of pest control and pesticide law. It overviews the basic ecological concepts and ecologically related pest management tools, placing them in an agricultural pest management context. The book provides an in-depth treatment of the ecological impacts of current pesticide use, as well as the legacy of past pesticide uses. This is followed by a detailed discussion of current domestic and international laws that relate to pesticide use, and an analysis of the relationship between these laws and their failure to adequately incorporate ecological concepts. The book concludes with an analysis of how recent developments in ecological science can be used to inform the law and proposes a number of potential ways in which the law could be changed to respond to increased ecological understanding.
