Ecosystem-level studies, such as the one described in this book, are expensive and time-consuming. Critics have suggested that they are not the most efficient way of conducting ecological research. There are certain circumstances, however, where the alternative approaches have little chance of success. Candidates for collaborative studies include those that require interor multi-disciplinary teams; are too big, expensive or extensive for single organisations; and need new, rather than conventional approaches. The scale and complexity of the environmental issues facing South Africa and the world is such that large cooperative studies will continue to be a prominent feature of research organisation in the future. Within the 16-year duration of the Savanna Biome Programme at Nylsvley, the style and structure of environmental research management in South Africa changed substantially. The aim of this chapter is to discuss the organisational experience of the Nylsvley programme, in order to guide future undertakings of this kind.

The substance of the chapter is based on a review paper by Brian Huntley, the manager of Ecosystem Programmes at the Foundation for Research Development for most of the duration of the Nylsvley study (Huntley 1987). The chapter also draws on the assessment conducted by Paul Risser, following the termination of the programme in 1989 (Risser 1989).

Historical background

Ecology has long been a strong component of South African biological research, thanks to a rich fauna and flora, a developed conservation awareness and an agricultural economy based largely on unimproved rangeland.