Abstract
Marco Polo, Christopher Columbus and Captain James Cook were explorers who left their mark in history, not only because they travelled into unknown territories but also because they returned home to write about their fascinating adventures. They faced many obstacles and not infrequently suffered from lack of support. Despite all encumbrances, they laboured on because they believed that what they were doing was important and potentially rewarding. Their stubbornness and perseverance led them to great discoveries, if not always the rewards. Likewise, in this book we bring to you a collection of 44 'adventures', each written by scientists who journeyed into the unknown domains of biological control. They made their way towards a goal and, in doing so, faced numerous and unexpected hurdles, which had to be addressed for them to complete their objectives. The field of biological control encompasses not only biology but, as we will learn, also dozens of other disciplines and human activities, including technology, art, business, psychology, economics, law, international trade, sociology and many more. The chapters presented here illustrate that one needs to master combinations of all these elements in order to deploy a successful biological control programme.