By definition a partially feasible equilibrium is sector-stable if every solution of the system which begins in a nonnegative neighborhood remains in the same or a larger nonnegative neighborhood for all finite values of t and converges to the steady state as t→∞. It is argued that the concept of sector stability is important in the analysis of a complex ecosystem model. A nontrivial mathematical criterion is given for the total system property which states that the self-regulating intraspecific interactions are stronger than the interspecific interactions. This total system property ensures global stability or global sector stability in a model. It follows that such a model can withstand a wide range of realistic perturbations of its initial state.