Abstract: Dynamic equilibrium theory of island biogeography is one of the important concepts in modern biogeography and ecology. Its popularity has been explicitly reflected by a large body of literature in the past three decades. The theory has an enormous influence on perspectives of nature conservation. In this paper, the basic tenets and assumptions of the theory are outlined both qualitatively and quantitatively. The validity of the theory and its applicability to nature conservation are critically discussed. In addition, the implications of the theory to the development of population dynamics models in heterogeneous environments and landscape ecology are briefly commented.

Key words: Degraded ecosystem, Community succession, Re-vegetation, Plant ecophysiology