At present, a critical knowledge gap exists between the ‘macro’ landscape-scale changes desired (some of which have already been articulated in the form of various catchment management targets and biodiversity conservation goals), and the practical ‘micro’ property-level activities that are to contribute to delivering those sought-after landscape outcomes. Some projects are starting to address these issues. To maximise their potential it will be important to engage the land managers in research programs, as they will be asked to undertake the property level activities and have considerable local knowledge.

Regional organisations have added another level of governance, in addition to local, State and Commonwealth Governments. It would be instructive to examine what impacts these changes have had on meeting NRM management objectives, how the different ‘levels’ interact, and what complementary roles and responsibilities can be identified.

The work on modelling vegetation scenarios in southern Australia has used the best available data, which is largely based on studies of the habitat requirements of birds and mammals. It would be useful to undertake some ‘what if’ analysis based on our current understanding of other organisms such as frogs and reptiles, to compare the results. As with all modelling projects, the outcomes will depend on the original management objectives, the quality of the data and the assumptions underpinning the model. Testing some of the frameworks that have been developed for the conservation of native vegetation and biodiversity in different regions would help evaluate their on-ground utility.