diff --git a/SConstruct b/SConstruct
index 1ff418f42..9c3f11b28 100644
--- a/SConstruct
+++ b/SConstruct
@@ -324,7 +324,8 @@ pickle_store = [# Scons internal variables
         'HAS_BOOST_SYSTEM',
         'SVN_REVISION',
         'HAS_CAIRO',
-        'HAS_PYCAIRO'
+        'HAS_PYCAIRO',
+        'HAS_LIBXML2'
         ]
 
 # Add all other user configurable options to pickle pickle_store
@@ -717,6 +718,7 @@ if not preconfigured:
     env['SKIPPED_DEPS'] = []
     env['HAS_CAIRO'] = False
     env['HAS_PYCAIRO'] = False
+    env['HAS_LIBXML2'] = False
     
     env['LIBDIR_SCHEMA'] = LIBDIR_SCHEMA
     env['PLUGINS'] = PLUGINS
@@ -775,7 +777,7 @@ if not preconfigured:
         env.Append(CXXFLAGS = '-DBOOST_PROPERTY_TREE_XML_PARSER_TINYXML -DTIXML_USE_STL')
     elif env['XMLPARSER'] == 'libxml2':
         if conf.parse_config('XML2_CONFIG'):
-            env.Append(CXXFLAGS = '-DHAVE_LIBXML2')
+            env['HAS_LIBXML2'] = True
             
     if env['CAIRO'] and conf.CheckPKGConfig('0.15.0') and conf.CheckPKG('cairomm-1.0'):
         env['HAS_CAIRO'] = True
@@ -1076,11 +1078,18 @@ if not preconfigured:
                
             majver, minver = env['PYTHON_VERSION'].split('.')
 
-            # TODO - this needs to be moved up... 
-            env.AppendUnique(CPPPATH = env['PYTHON_INCLUDES']) 
-            if not conf.CheckHeader(header='Python.h',language='C'): 
-                color_print(1,'Could not find required header files for the Python language (version %s)' % env['PYTHON_VERSION']) 
-                env['MISSING_DEPS'].append('python %s development headers' % env['PYTHON_VERSION'])        
+            # we don't want the includes it in the main environment...
+            # as they are later set in the python SConscript
+            # ugly hack needed until we have env specific conf
+            backup = env.Clone().Dictionary()
+            env.AppendUnique(CPPPATH = env['PYTHON_INCLUDES'])
+            
+            if not conf.CheckHeader(header='Python.h',language='C'):
+                color_print(1,'Could not find required header files for the Python language (version %s)' % env['PYTHON_VERSION'])
+                env.Replace(**backup)
+                env['MISSING_DEPS'].append('python %s development headers' % env['PYTHON_VERSION'])
+            else:
+                env.Replace(**backup)
 
             if (int(majver), int(minver)) < (2, 2):
                 color_print(1,"Python version 2.2 or greater required")
diff --git a/agg/SConscript b/agg/SConscript
index ce9a3321b..90cd27ada 100644
--- a/agg/SConscript
+++ b/agg/SConscript
@@ -21,7 +21,9 @@ import glob
 
 Import('env')
 
+agg_env = env.Clone()
+
 if env['PLATFORM'] == 'SunOS':
-    env.StaticLibrary('agg', glob.glob('./src/' + '*.cpp'), LIBS=[], CPPPATH='./include', CXXFLAGS='-O -KPIC -DNDEBUG')
+    agg_env.StaticLibrary('agg', glob.glob('./src/' + '*.cpp'), LIBS=[], CPPPATH='./include', CXXFLAGS='-O -KPIC -DNDEBUG')
 else:
-    env.StaticLibrary('agg', glob.glob('./src/' + '*.cpp'), LIBS=[], CPPPATH='./include', CXXFLAGS='-O%s -fPIC -DNDEBUG' % env['OPTIMIZATION'])
+    agg_env.StaticLibrary('agg', glob.glob('./src/' + '*.cpp'), LIBS=[], CPPPATH='./include', CXXFLAGS='-O%s -fPIC -DNDEBUG' % env['OPTIMIZATION'])
diff --git a/bindings/python/SConscript b/bindings/python/SConscript
index 5d72f5906..ea3020a7d 100644
--- a/bindings/python/SConscript
+++ b/bindings/python/SConscript
@@ -30,7 +30,6 @@ install_prefix = env['DESTDIR'] + '/' + prefix
 
 linkflags = ''
 libraries = ['mapnik','png','jpeg']
-headers = [env['PYTHON_INCLUDES']] + env['CPPPATH']
 
 if env['BOOST_PYTHON_LIB']:
     if os.path.sep in env['BOOST_PYTHON_LIB']:
@@ -138,9 +137,12 @@ env.Alias(target='install', source=ogcserver_module)
 sources = glob.glob('*.cpp')
 
 
+py_env = env.Clone()
+py_env.Append(CPPPATH = env['PYTHON_INCLUDES'])
+
 if env['SVN_REVISION']:
     sources.remove('mapnik_python.cpp')
-    env2 = env.Clone()
+    env2 = py_env.Clone()
     env2.Append(CCFLAGS='-DSVN_REVISION=%s' % env['SVN_REVISION'])
     if env['HAS_CAIRO'] or env['HAS_PYCAIRO']:
         if env['HAS_CAIRO']:
@@ -149,12 +151,11 @@ if env['SVN_REVISION']:
         if env['HAS_PYCAIRO']:
             env2.ParseConfig('pkg-config --cflags pycairo')
             env2.Append(CXXFLAGS = '-DHAVE_PYCAIRO')
-       
     sources.insert(0,env2.SharedObject('mapnik_python.cpp'))
 
 if env['HAS_CAIRO'] or env['HAS_PYCAIRO']:
-    env2 = env.Clone()
-    env2.ParseConfig('pkg-config --libs --cflags cairomm-1.0')     
+    env2 = py_env.Clone()
+    env2.ParseConfig('pkg-config --libs --cflags cairomm-1.0')
     fixup = ['mapnik_image.cpp','python_cairo.cpp']
     for cpp in fixup:
         if cpp in sources:
@@ -166,6 +167,6 @@ if env['HAS_CAIRO'] or env['HAS_PYCAIRO']:
     for cpp in fixup:
         sources.insert(0,env2.SharedObject(cpp))
 
-_mapnik = env.LoadableModule('mapnik/_mapnik', sources, LIBS=libraries, LDMODULEPREFIX='', LDMODULESUFFIX='.so', CPPPATH=headers,LINKFLAGS=linkflags)
+_mapnik = py_env.LoadableModule('mapnik/_mapnik', sources, LIBS=libraries, LDMODULEPREFIX='', LDMODULESUFFIX='.so',LINKFLAGS=linkflags)
 pymapniklib = env.Install(env['PYTHON_INSTALL_LOCATION'] + '/mapnik',_mapnik)
 env.Alias(target='install',source=pymapniklib)
diff --git a/src/SConscript b/src/SConscript
index d67f2fd71..2e146067f 100644
--- a/src/SConscript
+++ b/src/SConscript
@@ -119,10 +119,8 @@ if env['HAS_CAIRO']:
     for cpp in fixup:
         if cpp in source:
             source.remove(cpp)
-    for cpp in fixup:
         source.insert(0,env2.SharedObject(cpp))
 
-
 if env['XMLPARSER'] == 'tinyxml':
     source += Split(
         """
@@ -131,11 +129,18 @@ if env['XMLPARSER'] == 'tinyxml':
         ../tinyxml/tinyxmlerror.cpp
         ../tinyxml/tinyxmlparser.cpp
         """)
-elif env['XMLPARSER'] == 'libxml2':
+elif env['XMLPARSER'] == 'libxml2' and env['HAS_LIBXML2']:
     source += Split(
         """
         libxml2_loader.cpp
         """)
+    env2 = env.Clone()
+    env2.Append(CXXFLAGS = '-DHAVE_LIBXML2')
+    fixup = ['load_map.cpp','libxml2_loader.cpp']
+    for cpp in fixup:
+        if cpp in source:
+            source.remove(cpp)
+        source.insert(0,env2.SharedObject(cpp))
 
 mapnik = env.SharedLibrary('mapnik', source, LIBS=libraries, LINKFLAGS=linkflags)
 if env['PLATFORM'] != 'Darwin':
diff --git a/src/libxml2_loader.cpp b/src/libxml2_loader.cpp
index 7a4ec2aa1..138b60171 100644
--- a/src/libxml2_loader.cpp
+++ b/src/libxml2_loader.cpp
@@ -20,6 +20,8 @@
  *
  *****************************************************************************/
 
+#ifdef HAVE_LIBXML2
+
 #include <mapnik/libxml2_loader.hpp>
 
 #include <mapnik/config_error.hpp>
@@ -222,3 +224,5 @@ namespace mapnik
     }
 
 } // end of namespace mapnik
+
+#endif
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/load_map.cpp b/src/load_map.cpp
index ea217fe12..ad60086d5 100644
--- a/src/load_map.cpp
+++ b/src/load_map.cpp
@@ -34,7 +34,10 @@
 #include <mapnik/font_set.hpp>
 
 #include <mapnik/ptree_helpers.hpp>
+
+#ifdef HAVE_LIBXML2
 #include <mapnik/libxml2_loader.hpp>
+#endif
 
 // boost
 #include <boost/optional.hpp>