diff --git a/org.springframework.beans/src/main/java/org/springframework/beans/factory/xml/BeanDefinitionParserDelegate.java b/org.springframework.beans/src/main/java/org/springframework/beans/factory/xml/BeanDefinitionParserDelegate.java
index 7236aa61c0f..8cdd39f1ed0 100644
--- a/org.springframework.beans/src/main/java/org/springframework/beans/factory/xml/BeanDefinitionParserDelegate.java
+++ b/org.springframework.beans/src/main/java/org/springframework/beans/factory/xml/BeanDefinitionParserDelegate.java
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ import java.util.Set;
 
 import org.apache.commons.logging.Log;
 import org.apache.commons.logging.LogFactory;
+
 import org.w3c.dom.Element;
 import org.w3c.dom.NamedNodeMap;
 import org.w3c.dom.Node;
@@ -58,6 +59,7 @@ import org.springframework.beans.factory.support.ManagedProperties;
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.support.ManagedSet;
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.support.MethodOverrides;
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.support.ReplaceOverride;
+import org.springframework.core.env.DefaultEnvironment;
 import org.springframework.core.env.Environment;
 import org.springframework.util.Assert;
 import org.springframework.util.ClassUtils;
@@ -265,6 +267,17 @@ public class BeanDefinitionParserDelegate {
 		this.environment = environment;
 	}
 
+	/**
+	 * Create a new BeanDefinitionParserDelegate associated with the
+	 * supplied {@link XmlReaderContext} and a new {@link DefaultEnvironment}.
+	 * @deprecated since Spring 3.1 in favor of
+	 * {@link #BeanDefinitionParserDelegate(XmlReaderContext, Environment)}
+	 */
+	@Deprecated
+	public BeanDefinitionParserDelegate(XmlReaderContext readerContext) {
+		this(readerContext, new DefaultEnvironment());
+	}
+
 	/**
 	 * Get the {@link XmlReaderContext} associated with this helper instance.
 	 */
diff --git a/org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/context/config/AbstractSpecificationBeanDefinitionParser.java b/org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/context/config/AbstractSpecificationBeanDefinitionParser.java
index 61756a97e85..58472b55142 100644
--- a/org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/context/config/AbstractSpecificationBeanDefinitionParser.java
+++ b/org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/context/config/AbstractSpecificationBeanDefinitionParser.java
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ import org.springframework.beans.factory.parsing.ProblemReporter;
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.parsing.ReaderContext;
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.xml.BeanDefinitionParser;
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.xml.ParserContext;
+import org.springframework.core.env.DefaultEnvironment;
 import org.w3c.dom.Element;
 
 /**
@@ -54,11 +55,19 @@ public abstract class AbstractSpecificationBeanDefinitionParser implements BeanD
 		specContext.setRegistry(parserContext.getRegistry());
 		specContext.setRegistrar(new ComponentRegistrarAdapter(parserContext));
 		specContext.setResourceLoader(parserContext.getReaderContext().getResourceLoader());
-		specContext.setEnvironment(parserContext.getDelegate().getEnvironment());
+		try {
+			// again, STS constraints around the addition of the new getEnvironment()
+			// method in 3.1.0 (it's not present in STS current spring version, 3.0.5)
+			// TODO 3.1 GA: remove this block prior to 3.1 GA
+			specContext.setEnvironment(parserContext.getDelegate().getEnvironment());
+		} catch (NoSuchMethodError ex) {
+			specContext.setEnvironment(new DefaultEnvironment());
+		}
 		try {
 			// access the reader context's problem reporter reflectively in order to
 			// compensate for tooling (STS) constraints around introduction of changes
 			// to parser context / reader context classes.
+			// TODO 3.1 GA: remove this block prior to 3.1 GA
 			Field field = ReaderContext.class.getDeclaredField("problemReporter");
 			field.setAccessible(true);
 			ProblemReporter problemReporter = (ProblemReporter)field.get(parserContext.getReaderContext());