The Cathedral Peak research catchments have been an historic foci of observation research in the northern uKhahlamba Drakensberg mountains, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, having their scientific towards the end of the mid-20th century. The Drakensberg mountains are South Africa's most important water catchment area, and owing to the relatively greater rainfall in this region, the area is also valued for agriculture. This portion of southern Africa's grassland biome also supports phenomenal levels of biodiversity. The research catchments themselves are primary and fall within a protected area, but research in this landscape extends beyond the protected area into communal, state, and privately owned lands. The full spectrum of trans-disciplinary scientific work is supported and has continued to grow in this landscape.