Offering guidelines on the achievement of global sustainable development, this study focuses on the institutional arrangements necessary to cope with the complexity of ecological problems and the ways in which they interact with society. The authors describe a new form of environmental management which links the different levels of government and business together in action-centred networks. These have been shown to work in a range of contexts, dealing with changing circumstances. The text can either be used as a practical guide for those achieving sustainable development, or as a course textbook on development studies.