Bringing this vision to life is daunting and challenging, but a mindset shift is key. “The moment you recognise the intergenerational aspect of your work is the moment you realise you have to treat it differently than another enterprise that might be here for only 10 years,” Atkins says. “It makes you think about how to plan from year to year to ensure the security of that 500-year view, and set up exemplars of what can be done to mitigate, reverse or help solve the issues we might be facing in the next 100, 200 or 500 years.”
It’s a far-off and bold target, but Zealandia’s long-term vision plays an essential role in the sanctuary’s current and future success. “For it to be enduring, we have to get people involved and committed to an intergenerational view, where we are stewards and not owners,” says Atkins. “It’s not just a function of how long it takes a tree to grow – it’s also a function of how we need to behave if we’re going to make sustainable change.”
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