NESP MaC Project 2.3 - Improving knowledge transfer to support Australian Marine Park decision making and management effectiveness evaluation, 2022-2023 (CSIRO, IMAS)

This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub project "Improving knowledge transfer to support Australian Marine Park decision making and management effectiveness evaluation". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata.

Australia’s network of Commonwealth Marine Parks plays a central role in conserving marine biodiversity, supporting sustainable use, and protecting cultural and recreational values. With over 60 parks spanning diverse habitats - from shallow coastal areas to deep offshore canyons - effective and adaptive management depends on access to reliable, fit-for-purpose data and data products that reflect the condition of park values and the pressures acting upon them.

This project improved the capacity to assess the effectiveness of Australian Marine Park (AMP) management by identifying and evaluating priority data and data products required for characterising marine systems and management effectiveness. It worked closely with Parks Australia to assess the availability, quality, and delivery mechanisms of existing datasets, and determined whether these were operationally viable, maintainable over time, and aligned with FAIR data principles. Technical assessments considered consistency of formats, use of standardised vocabularies, as well as machine-readability and the use of national standards for data and collection methodologies.

Using available data, knowledge, and existing data infrastructure, the project developed methods for estimating the condition of AMP values (excluding cultural values) and for assessing management effectiveness. Recommendations were provided to improve the discoverability, accessibility, and usability of priority data products through national platforms.

Outcomes of the project include a clearer understanding of existing data gaps and a practical foundation for improving future AMP assessments. Parks Australia was equipped with a structured assessment of current data suitability and availability, a demonstration of condition estimation methods, and strategic recommendations to enhance data delivery and alignment with park management cycles. This work directly contributes to the Marine and Coastal Hub’s Protected Place Management Initiative and supports national efforts to build integrated data systems for marine estate monitoring and reporting.

Outputs
• Documented data and data product priorities organised in one or more data product hierarchies including monitoring priorities and their indicators where appropriate [written]
• A fit for purpose assessment of priority data products [written]
• Methods for estimating current condition status of AMP values [written]
• Recommendations for how to progress priority data sets that do not currently meet the established criteria but are required for characterising, protecting, and assessing current condition status of AMP values [written]
• Final project report [written]
• Ad-hoc data products generated through this project's data fitness-for-purpose exercise - see linked 'child' records

Tags: National Environmental Science Program (NESP) Marine and Coastal Hub, data aggregation, data analysis, data synthesis, decision making, evidence-base
Organization: Australian Ocean Data Network