The vision describes a desired future for New Zealand’s biodiversity and our management of it; this is a long-term view that may take well into the 21st century to become reality.

The goals establish:

• the high-level biodiversity outcomes for both indigenous biodiversity and important introduced species that we are aiming to achieve by 2020 (Goals Three and Four);
   
• how communities and individuals need to be able to contribute to achieving these outcomes and share responsibility for and benefits from biodiversity (Goal One); and
   
• commitments under the Treaty of Waitangi in managing biodiversity (Goal Two).

A timeframe of twenty years — a little less than one human generation — is proposed to achieve the Strategy goals. This should allow for the successful planning, implementation and monitoring of all actions and for some improvements in the state of New Zealand’s biodiversity to take place¹⁴. Yet, from an ecological perspective, twenty years is short. Not all biodiversity issues identified in Part Three can be addressed in this time, and new issues will no doubt emerge.

In light of future uncertainty and change, New Zealand’s goals for managing biodiversity will most certainly have to be revisited. Refinement of the goals will need to take account of changes in society’s values, our knowledge and understanding of biodiversity, technological breakthroughs, and changes in the state of New Zealand’s biodiversity into the 21st century.

The principles set out important underlying values, premises and approaches to guide how this Strategy will be implemented.

¹⁴ For example, changes in vegetation cover, composition and condition; marine fish stocks; and the breeding success and population levels of many threatened species.