Product of a convocation of environmental scientists, this volume contains twelve contributions by experts in the field and short commentaries upon their commentaries by other knowledgeables, all sandwiched between a rather convoluted, confusing introductory dissertation by the editor (on the emergence of disciplines, the ecological plexus, and the megalopolitan environment, among other things) and an urgent parting benediction by Lewis Mumford. The pieces are grouped by Land, Air, and Water and attack such topics as ""Ecology and management of the rural and the suburban landscape,"" ""Educational, recreational, and scientific aspects of the aquatic community,"" and ""Botanical gardens and horizons in algal research."" One conferee takes the title to heart and issues thirteen separate challenges to different corporations, foundations, and public departments to help save the Total Human Ecosystem. The approaches of the conservation Cassandras range from statistical dryness to importunate exhortation to warmed-over symposial humor. Certainly the issues are critical, but not many citizens will respond to a challenge like: ""Can we hope for a city of man, an ecosystem in dynamic equilibrium, stable and complex?