"According to Ellis and Swift (1988), there is evidence from their work
'(1) that stable equilibria are not achievable in many pastoral ecosystems, although long-term persistence is; (2) that interventions aimed at achieving stability in non-equilibrial systems are likely to be irrelevant at best or disruptive and destructive at worst; and (3) that successful interventions will be designed to accommodate system dynamic variation rather than aimed at maintaining equilibrial conditions.'" -- Chapter 2 of Marc Foggin's Ph.D. Dissertation (link at top)