A critical analysis of the "post-Rio consensus" on environment and development which questions the role of particular forms of internationalized elite scientific expertise. It asks why certain understandings of enviromental change "stick" with such tenacity. In exploring this, the authors unravel the politics of knowledge surrounding policymaking, looking particularly at Ethiopia, Mali and Zimbabwe and their land and soils management. The book also looks at prospects for more inclusive, participatory forms of policymaking.