Ecosystems in Africa face a tradeoff between being resistant to disturbances like droughts and wildfires, and being stable in recovering from them. By studying over 1000 protected areas, researchers found that ecosystems that are more resistant to disturbances tend to be less stable, and vice versa. Highly resistant ecosystems are usually drier and have diverse habitats and mammal species, while highly stable ecosystems are the opposite. This shows that a balance between resistance and stability is crucial for ecosystems to survive environmental changes.