12 - Lessons on running large-scale research studies: some insights from running the Tumut Fragmentation Study and directions for the future

Summary

Before bringing this book to a close it is worth reflecting on some of the major issues and challenges associated with maintaining a large-scale, long-term project like the Tumut Fragmentation Study. Of course, much work remains to be done and the last part of this chapter discusses some directions for future work.

The challenges of maintaining a large-scale, multifaceted research project

It's my hope that this book has highlighted the diverse and multifaceted nature of the research programme undertaken at Tumut. Most of my colleagues consider that the work at Tumut has been productive and useful, and has changed thinking in some areas of ecology as well as altering approaches to the management of plantations. However, the maintenance of the work undertaken over the past 12+ years has involved more than its fair share of challenges. Three of these are outlined below. They are briefly summarised to illustrate some of the hurdles that can arise and that might hopefully be avoided by others embarking on long-term, large-scale research studies.

Data curation and management

The maintenance of a high-quality dataset is a pivotal part of any successful long-term ecological project. This sounds like a trivial point to most scientists. But the reality is that the curation of data is often an afterthought in the vast majority of ecological projects. Indeed, I have personally witnessed many cases where government agencies have discarded high-quality datasets that were not long afterwards recognised as being extremely important.