In order to undertake a critical review of the interface between plant microevolution and conservation, it is necessary to examine published information on a very wide range of topics. Current microevolution is illuminated by ecological studies, common garden and other types of experiment, and a variety of cytological and genetic investigations that increasingly employ molecular markers. Concerning the environmental and conservation context of the success or failure of species, there are many peer-reviewed papers in academic journals and books, together with official documents and statistics produced by national governments, international agencies, interest groups and professional conservationists etc. There is also a great deal of what is called grey literature, which, for reasons of confidentiality, is not publicly available. This includes, for example, consultants' reports, on which far-reaching conservation decisions are made. There is also a great deal of information on the Internet. In total there is a substantial body of knowledge about the conservation of communities and endangered species, based not only on the experience of habitat management, but also on experiments, field observations, mapping and surveys.

Technical advances in many fields have greatly enlarged our understanding of wider environmental issues. With the increasing use of aerial photography, satellite imagery and remote sensing, it has been possible to investigate land use in a way hitherto impossible from fieldwork alone. Google Earth – http://earth.google.com – provides an unrivalled opportunity to examine in great detail the impact of human activities on ecosystems (Biever, 2005).