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Abstract: This paper offers a short history of references to sustainable development, from the to the preparation of the . This discussion will consist of four parts. The first section revisits the definitions and status of sustainable development in environmental discourse. Second, the paper looks at the evolution of policy instruments applied to the environment, and the influence of the sustainable development framing. Third, the scope of the analysis expands for a broader view of the changes that have occurred since the Brundtland Report in the “environmental scene” (actors, discourses, modes of action). Lastly, the paper outlines major evolutions of environmental problems in the same period, in an attempt to sketch limitations that sustainable development discourse has progressively revealed. The article concludes by envisaging the future of the concept, and the potential influence of alternative concepts in this respect. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper reviews the development of ecological economics in Australia and New Zealand since its beginnings in the late 1970s. A historical account is presented that focuses particularly on the activities of the Australia New Zealand Society for Ecological Economics and key ecological economics research activities. Achievements of ecological economics in Australia and New Zealand are assessed, using a range of quantitative and qualitative data. The main areas of expertise developed by Australian and New Zealand ecological economists were found to be: theoretical foundations and visions for ecological economics; biodiversity and resilience; input–output analysis; heterodox valuation approaches; analysis of economy–environment interactions; sustainability indicators; sustainable agriculture, fisheries and oceans; and energy/thermodynamics. Both countries are ranked at the top (or near the top) of the world rankings in terms of per capita ISEE membership and publication rates in Ecological Economics. A defining feature of ecological economics in Australia and New Zealand has also been its practical and problem-solving focus and the level of end-user engagement. The paper concludes by discussing the challenges that face the future development of ecological economics in Australia and New Zealand. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]