INSTITUTE'S MISSION IS TO RESEARCH, DEVELOP, PRACTICE, AND DISSEMINATE SUSTAINABLE STRATEGIES AND TECHNIQUES FOR CONSERVING ECOSYSTEMS, AGRICULTURE, AND RURAL COMMUNITIES. INSTITUTE WILL ACHIEVE THIS MISSION BY USING ITS LIVESTOCK, LAND, SCALE, AND BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY TO RESEARCH AND DEMONSTRATE HOW RANCHING OPERATIONS CAN MEET ECONOMIC AND PRODUCTION OBJECTIVES WHILE PROTECTING AND ENHANCING NATURAL RESOURCE AND CONSERVATION VALUES OF LARGE LANDSCAPES. IN A BROAD SENSE THIS CONCEPT CAN BE REFERRED TO AS ECOAGRICULTURE, AN EMERGING AREA OF SCIENTIFIC STUDY REGARDING HOW SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE AND RANCHING CAN BE CONDUCTED ACROSS DIVERSE LANDSCAPES WHILE MAINTAINING ECOSYSTEM SERVICES AND INTEGRITY, AND CONTRIBUTING TOWARDS SOLUTIONS FOR LOCAL AND GLOBAL ISSUES (E.G., CLIMATE CHANGE, NATIVE SPECIES AND HABITAT LOSS, ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINATION, WATER DEPLETION, FOOD PRODUCTION, AND RURAL ECONOMIES) RATHER THAN EXACERBATING THEM.