A business strategy that aims at gaining a practical monopoly in a niche (i.e., a small or specialized area). A business that manages to successfully implement this strategy is expected to be immune to competition and the broader ecological challenges in its area. The products or services provided by an ecological niche holder is typically a key input in an industrial process that other market players will not bother with any attempts to compete within the same niche.

Ecological niche comes in three distinct forms:

• toll-gate strategy.
• specialty market strategy.
• specialty skill strategy.