The introduction of the regional management model across Australia has led to a number of changes to the social and institutional milieu that native vegetation management sits within. Research that helps better understand the pressures and opportunities that these new arrangements bring with them is essential. Identifying the types of broader societal approaches to stimulate large-scale improved management of native vegetation is needed. Native vegetation management is fundamentally about people and their actions, so it is critical to continue supporting social science research and integrating it with other disciplines. It is important to understand, learn from and implement the lessons from the roll out of national and regional NRM programs, including the need for transparent and timely actions that support people at the “coal face”. Developing mechanisms to encourage and support a research culture at the regional level is required to underpin effective decision-making.