Integrated pest management (IPM) represents a cornerstone in the science of sustainable crop protection in an era of accelerating climate change, biodiversity loss, and rising food demand. This review synthesized contemporary knowledge on the eight core IPM principles – prevention and suppression, monitoring, decision making based on economic thresholds, biological control, pesticide selection, reduced pesticide use, resistance management, and evaluation - and links them explicitly to environmental, economic, and social sustainability goals. Also highlighted were how preventive measures, ecological engineering, and advanced monitoring tools, including remote sensing and artificial intelligence, can maintain pest populations below economic injury levels while reducing reliance on synthetic pesticides. Particular emphasis was placed on biological control and biopesticides, including entomopathogenic fungi and botanicals, as well as on selective pesticide use and resistance management strategies that conserve natural enemies, pollinators, and other non-target organisms. Further examined were the contributions of IPM to biodiversity conservation, improved ecosystem functioning, economic efficiency, and social benefits such as reduced human health risks from pesticides. Finally, key technical, economic, institutional, and cultural barriers that currently limit broader IPM adoption and outline future perspectives, including decision-support systems, policy incentives, and knowledge transfer mechanisms, needed to fully integrate IPM into resilient agricultural and forestry systems were discussed.