In 1996 the Victorian Government signed the National Strategy for the Conservation of Australia’s Biological Diversity. In doing so it re-emphasised the importance of biodiversity to all Victorians. Conserving biodiversity is vital for maintaining our quality of life and our standard of living in the long term.
In the National Strategy, biodiversity is defined as:

The variety of all life forms — the different plants, animals and micro-organisms, the genes they contain, and the ecosystems of which they form a part.

Biodiversity therefore encompasses a huge range of living things and ecosystems, which are constantly evolving and adapting to environmental changes. Its importance to sustaining resource-based industries such as agriculture, fishing, forestry and tourism cannot be overestimated. But it is also vital in our everyday lives — for non-material needs such as recreation and a sense of place, and for basic needs such as helping to process waste. In the end, we have no choice: we must carefully sustain our biological resources if we are to prosper and to have a high quality of life. Conserving biodiversity is not just the responsibility of governments. Our daily lives provide opportunities for all of us to consider how our actions affect Victoria’s environment and biodiversity.

To take some simple examples: individuals can separate and recycle their domestic garbage to reduce the need for raw materials and landfill, and industry can develop and implement ‘cradle-to-grave’ product stewardship and use natural resources such as water more sustainably.

Meanwhile, governments can also do practical things like ensuring that our use of the land and sea considers biodiversity, improving our knowledge of threatened flora and fauna, and ensuring that our shared natural resources are utilised sustainably.

By drawing together the threads of our various roles and responsibilities, this document shows how Victoria can fulfil its national and international obligations to sustain biodiversity.