This issue of Palaeogeography Palaeoclimatology Palaeoecology is devoted to papers on Mesozoic ecosystems and is an outcome of the International Geoscience Program (IGCP) 632. IGCP is a joint operation by UNESCO and the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS), which promote interdisciplinary Earth science research among scientists internationally. Since its formation in 1972, IGCP has supported over 500 projects in about 150 countries.