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Forest and Bird, Issue 291, 1 February 1999, Unnumbered Page

7 ovR Keykjr KURA At 0 glance '#0 New Zealand's Draft Biodiversity Strategy The New Zealand Biodiversity Strategy is a response to the state of decline of New Zealand's indigenous biodiversity S our most 'pervasive environmental issue" according to New Zealand 5 State of the Environment Report 1997 . It's also a commitment flowing from New Zealand ratifying the Our ( international Convention on Biological to StRAtegy Diversity in 1993. the "public @ Tide The strategy will establish a strategic 1998 framework for action to conserve and sustainably use and manage New Zealand's biodiversity: A keystone to this framework will be a set of agreed national biodiversity goals as a basis for prioritising management programmes and actions. The draft strategy includes some options for these goals, which reflect the overall aim to halt the decline of New Zealand's biodiversity and in places to restore it. Expansive in scope, the draft strategy outlines New Zealand's key biodiversity issues in 7 themes: biodiversity on land, in freshwater and the coastal and marine environment; genetic resources, biosecurity; information, knowledge and capacity; and New Zealanders and biodiversity (covering governance, Maori and biodiversity, community participation, and international responsibilities). Action plans for each theme draw together and propose enhancements to present biodiversity programmes and initiatives, as well as suggesting some new actions to fill critical gaps. Taking a strategic overview of what we need to do, or do better; in managing our biodiversity, the draft strategy presents 6 areas where we need to focus our attention in order to begin to make progress towards our goals: Sustain biodiversity in privately managed areas and freshwater environments. Improve the condition of protected land areas and the prospects for threatened species. Manage the marine environment to sustain biodiversity: Identify and manage biosecurity risks. Become smarter biodiversity managers. Improve governance mechanisms and encourage community initiatives. REA TAIAO NEw ZEALAND' Chance BoDiVERSITY Turn Draft . Strategy for , DECEMBER consultation