• Building a cohesive understanding of the combined and complex manifestation of social, ecological and economic functions and influences operating across rural landscapes;

• building on developing area of Panarchy Theory – understanding combined systems failure, resilience and critical pressure points for change;

• developing an “integrated systems” approach to provide transition options for land management, services and communities;

• bioregional planning, alternative landscape futures analysis and, landscape redesign;

• development of methodologies, institutional and policy frameworks for seamless integration of natural resource management, resource governance, and landscape design;

• Knowledge building and analysis (in above areas) through technological and analytical development; for example, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), focusing on spatial, social-ecological systems synthesis and modelling;

• understanding adjustments towards more capable institutions to deal with resource issues and externalities of property rights and resource governance across rural and natural landscapes;

• understanding applications for design, planning and establishment of combined rural industry biosystems delivering socio-economic benefits and ecosystem services at landscape scales.