Therefore, the department is mandated to ensure the equitable and sustainable use, conservation, management and, where necessary, the restoration of this resource base as well as to mitigate threats to them as a basis for sustainable and inclusive socio-economic development. In this regard, the department's medium term focus is firstly, on implementing the protected areas expansion strategy to ensure that all critical and endangered biodiversity, ecosystems and natural heritage areas are represented in the conservation and heritage estate; and secondly, the development and implementation of policies and management plans to effectively manage and attract investment into this estate, particularly investment in infrastructure for trans-frontier and community based conservation areas to support sustainable economic development.. Thirdly, the department will further develop and facilitate the implementation of a regulatory system for the protection of indigenous biodiversity and ecosystems from unscrupulous exploitation and other threats (such as the invasion by alien species) in order to secure the resource base for the sustainable development of the bio-economy and protection of local indigenous knowledge, including through regulatory control of the sustainable use based bio-prospecting, alien invasive species, hunting, threatened species and biodiversity trading sectors of bio-economy.