This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub Research Plan 2023 project "Identifying priority datasets of relevance to the Gippsland declaration area and pathways for their use in guiding decision-making". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata.

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Offshore renewable energy is rapidly developing in Australian waters, creating an immediate need for efficient access to relevant environmental data for assessment and regulation. In the Gippsland declared area, Commonwealth agencies require information on threatened and migratory species to support evidence-based decisions, identify data gaps, and guide future research and monitoring.

This project rapidly assessed the availability, accessibility, and utility of data and information for 15 priority species of seabirds, shorebirds, and marine mammals identified by DCCEEW and NOPSEMA in relation to the Gippsland offshore renewable energy area. The assessment considered species presence and occurrence, distribution and movement, habitat use, population dynamics, and behavioural information relevant to potential interactions during construction, operation, and decommissioning.

Data and information were identified through a workshop with data holders and research users, a data holder/user survey, and literature and repository searches across the broader Bass Strait region. The project identified approximately 250 data records from 30 data holders, covering datasets such as tracking, banding, diet, presence records, population genetics, mark-recapture, species distribution models, and museum specimens. Records included information on dataset type, location, time period, owner, access pathway, associated publications, and links to source metadata or data repositories.

The collation of this data inventory improved discoverability of priority species information. It also identified barriers to data use, including isolated databases, inconsistent metadata, inaccessible formats, and limited connections between data holders and assessment users. Recommendations focused on improving FAIR data practice, collaborative data-sharing arrangements, online aggregation of assessment-relevant information, and clearer definition of priority species, impacts, and data requirements.

The outputs support offshore renewable energy assessment and regulatory processes for the Gippsland declared area, contributed key information to NESP Marine and Coastal Hub Project 3.3 ( https://www.nespmarinecoastal.edu.au/project/3-3/), and provide a foundation for improving access to environmental data needed for future planning, monitoring, mitigation, and management.

Outputs

• Inventory of datasets relevant to the Gippsland OEI declaration area for priority species identified by DCCEEW and NOPSEMA [data inventory]

• Final project report [written]