The Addo Elephant National Park (AENP) has been the platform for a number of scientific research activities since its inception in 1931. The projects were undertaken by national parks staff as well as external tertiary institutions. Early research was focused on inventory analyses and the remnant elephant population. However, as the park has been expanded over the years there has been a progression towards more applied research. The research efforts in the thicket habitats of Addo have largely focused on the faunal and floral components and interactions between these, principally the impacts of herbivores on the vegetation. Research initiatives that consider the implications of ecosystem functioning, drivers of change and ecological processes have become more prevalent. This in effect has seen the shift of research from single species studies to that of a suite of multidisciplinary initiatives with direct management applications. There are a number of cases where research efforts have had direct management application and where possible these recommendations have been implemented. Examples of these include the introduction of elephant into the Addo population from the Kruger National Park and the cessation of kudu culling. Recently South African National Parks (SANParks) Scientific Services section has launched a process to strategically investigate the research requirements for each of the national parks. This approach has seen a number of thematic areas being assigned where research is required. Importantly this thematic research focus extends beyond the boundaries of the thicket given that the AENP encompasses a number of different biomes. The research focus attempts to maintain the linkages between these landscapes in setting research priorities.