Total organic carbon (TOC) sediment stocks as a CO2 mitigation service require exclusion of allochthonous black (BC) and particulate inorganic carbon corrected for water–atmospheric equilibrium (PICeq). For the first time, we address this bias for a temperate salt marsh and a coastal tropical seagrass in BC hotspots that represent two different blue carbon ecosystems of Malaysia and Australia. Seagrass TOC stocks were similar to the salt marshes with soil depths < 1 m (59.3 ± 11.3 and 74.9 ± 18.9 MgC ha-1, CI 95% respectively). Both ecosystems showed larger BC constraints than their pristine counterparts did. However, the seagrass meadows’ mitigation services were largely constrained by both higher BC/TOC and PICeq/TOC fractions (38.0% ± 6.6% and 43.4% ± 5.9%, CI 95%) and salt marshes around a third (22% ± 10.2% and 6.0% ± 3.1% CI 95%). The results provide useful data from underrepresented regions, and, reiterates the need to consider both BC and PIC for more reliable blue carbon mitigation assessments.

This record describes the towed video component from the from the Marine National Facility (MNF) RV Investigator research voyage IN2019_T02, titled "Deep seascapes of the Great Barrier Reef: Uncovering submarine canyons and landslides." The voyage took place between October 4 and October 14, 2019 departing from Brisbane (QLD) and arriving in Darwin (NT). Four 1500 m video transects were undertaken across a range of geomorphic features and depth gradients focussed on a deep hole feature within and adjacent to the Wessel Marine Park, on October 11, 2019. The benthic environment in the study area was highly turbid with strong currents, and associated imagery can therefore only be used for habitat classification, coarse morphospecies identification, or defining broad biological communities. Onboard habitat annotations are included as an excel file, with camera positioning included. For access to other End of Voyage (EOV) data from IN2019_T02, see https://catalogue.aodn.org.au/geonetwork/srv/eng/metadata.show?uuid=54158abf-7d02-4e66-8529-48ba6e286d63

This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub bridging study - "Support for Parks Australia’s Monitoring, Evaluation, Reporting and Improvement System for Australian Marine Parks". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata. -------------------- The system of marine parks that spans Australia’s Commonwealth waters is among the largest in the world. These parks play a major role in conserving marine life, supporting commercial and recreational activities, and protecting cultural values significant to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Parks Australia has developed management plans for five regional Australian Marine Park (AMP) networks (North, North-west, South-west, South-east and Temperate East) and the Coral Sea Marine Park (CSMP). Under each management plan, a science plan sets priorities for monitoring and research to evaluate management effectiveness and identify opportunities for improvement. This prioritisation is vital given the limited knowledge across many AMPs, the technical challenges and high costs of science in remote areas, and the finite resources available for park management. Building on foundational work from the NESP Marine Biodiversity Hub (projects SS2 and D7), this project delivered the scientific and technical advice needed to establish monitoring priorities for natural values and pressures across all AMP networks and the CSMP—completing a full national priority list for monitoring. It applied a nationally consistent four-step prioritisation framework that considered ecological importance, vulnerability to pressures, baseline data availability, and logistical feasibility. The project also updated the National Ecosystem model and Pressures & Activities datasets, conducted expert vulnerability assessments, and produced a Relative Cumulative Impact index. The combined research delivers a nationally accepted "common language" to describe natural values and pressures and a science-based method to derive monitoring priorities, aligned with the Monitoring, Evaluation, Reporting and Improvement (MERI) system—an adaptive management framework that is globally unique and a significant step towards adaptive, integrated, place-based management. Key outputs include a national database of environmental and human-use data for each management region and a refined list of monitoring priorities for each AMP Network and the CSMP. The findings highlight major knowledge gaps—particularly in the distribution of mesophotic and rariphotic reefs, intertidal ecosystems, and recreational fishing impacts—and provide guidance for improving baseline data and pressure assessments. The prioritisation framework and data products developed through this project can be re-generated over time alongside improvements in the evidence base and our understanding of how ecosystems respond to multi-sectoral activities to support continual improvement in iterative, evidence-based park management and environmental outcomes. Outputs • Digital map layers per AMP network of: (1) Ecosystems; (2) Pressures & Activities; and (3) Cumulative Benthic & Pelagic Impacts • Final Technical Report containing maps of Key Natural Values, and of spatial Monitoring Priorities, including a short summary of recommendations for policy makers of key findings [written]

This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub small-scale study - "Conservation of spotted handfish". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata. -------------------- Spotted Handfish (Brachionichthys hirsutus) were once common across the bays and estuaries of South-eastern Tasmania. By 1996, however, populations had declined and the species was listed as Critically Endangered under Australia’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. The species is relatively short-lived, (5–10 years) and matures at more than two years’ old. This leaves a short window for reproduction, which relies on egg masses laid on seafloor structures such as stalked ascidians. If spawning fails, population declines may occur rapidly. With no planktonic life stage to aid dispersal, and low adult dispersal, outside recruitment to re-establish collapsed populations is unlikely. Analysis of 23 years of Spotted Handfish survey data (1997–2019) supported by previous NESP Marine Biodiversity Hub work (Project A10) helped develop a time-series of survey data, increasing biological understanding and contributing to effective management actions. This project recommenced surveys of multiple local populations, after a two-year gap, to ensure that the potential impacts of development of the Derwent estuary and surrounds handfish populations or their habitats can be detected. Included in the population surveying was identification of suitable locations to plant Artificial Spawning Habitats (ASH) where natural spawning structures have declined. This will continue to support the species' captive breeding program with industry and foster engagement with the indigenous and broader community through participation, talks, outreach, publications, and the National Handfish Recovery Team (NHRT). Outputs • A consolidated database of all available data on spotted handfish imagery, length frequency, and GPS regions to 2022 [time-series database] • Final Project Report, including a short summary of recommendations for policy makers of key findings [written]

The goal of our study was to split the Australian maritime Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) into a set of smaller acoustic zones, whereby each zone is characterised by a set of environmental parameters that vary more across than within zones. The environmental parameters chosen reflect the hydroacoustic (e.g., water column sound speed profile), geoacoustic (e.g., sound speeds and absorption coefficients for compressional and shear waves), and bathymetric (i.e., seafloor depth and slope) parameters that directly affect the way in which sound propagates. Mean zone parameters and shape files are available for download. The zones may be used to map, for example, underwater sound from commercial shipping within the entire Australian EEZ.

This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub small-scale study - "A national framework for improving seagrass restoration". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata. -------------------- Seagrasses provide resources and ecosystem services critical to the health of coastal ecosystems and human populations. They increase water clarity, stabilise sediments and reduce coastal erosion, sequester carbon, and provide habitat and food to marine animals, including commercially important fish and invertebrates. Across Australia, the loss of >275,000 ha of seagrass meadows and associated ecosystem services—valued at AU$ 5.3 billion—has contributed to the long-term degradation of estuarine and coastal marine ecosystems. Restoration of seagrass is critical for improving the health and function of these ecosystems and sustaining coastal communities and industries that depend on them, yet restoration projects to date typically occur at small scales, driven by local priorities and with variable success. This project addressed this problem by bringing together scientists and key stakeholders to collate knowledge on seagrass ecology and restoration, and generated a framework to scaling-up restoration nationally. A national workshop with experts identified a shortlist of drivers key to restoration success, including sediment dynamics, microbial communities, hydrodynamics, and species interactions. It highlighted the importance of incorporating seagrass genetics and life histories into site and donor material selection to improve long-term resilience. New technologies such as eDNA, automation, and AI were also assessed for their potential to improve monitoring and reduce costs, while standardised methodologies and molecular tools were recommended to track microbial indicators and site suitability. A key insight from the workshop was the central role of sediment processes in feedback loops that determine seagrass health—providing a foundation for more effective, scalable restoration strategies. On-ground case studies were conducted in Western Australia and New South Wales to test the proposed restoration framework in collaboration with Indigenous and community partners: sediment quality assessment and manipulation (Gamay Rangers, UNSW); seed and seedling capture using sediment-filled hessian tubes (Malgana Rangers, UWA); and large-scale seed collection for seed-based restoration through the 'Seeds for Snapper' initiative (OzFish and UWA). These trials demonstrated the effectiveness of community-led restoration and reinforced the potential of seed-based methods for scaling up seagrass recovery. Outputs • Effect of sediment quality and manipulation on seagrass transplant success [field data] • Locations and health of beachcast fragments of Posidonia in Botany Bay [field data] • Effect of engineering hydrodynamics (by use of hessian socks) on seagrass transplant success [field data] • Final project report [written]

This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub small-scale study - "Towards a consolidated and open-science framework for restoration monitoring". No data outputs were generated by this project. -------------------- Coastal habitat restoration is scaling up rapidly in Australia and covers a range of diverse ecosystems including oyster reefs, seagrass meadows, mangrove forests, kelp forests, and saltmarshes. While monitoring is commonly included in these projects, approaches are often uncoordinated, inconsistently funded, and rarely follow open science protocols. Previous NESP-funded projects have advanced understanding of the ecology and service provision of threatened ecosystems and established targets for repair based on reference conditions (e.g. Marine Biodiversity Hub project B4). They also created a national database of marine and coastal restoration projects (Australian Coastal Restoration Network: project E5) and supported the development of monitoring, evaluation, reporting and improvement (MERI) systems across various sectors. Building on this foundation, the current project synthesised monitoring approaches across multiple habitat types by drawing on the collective expertise of Australian researchers. It also explored the integration of emerging technologies—such as automation, artificial intelligence, and eDNA—to improve monitoring efficiency and cost-effectiveness. The primary output of this project is a coordinated, open-science monitoring framework that incorporates clearly defined restoration goals and a core set of universal variables. Developed through expert consultation, the framework supports consistent benchmarking across projects while accommodating habitat-specific and goal-driven metrics. The framework promotes data accessibility, standardised definitions, and the integration of new technologies to streamline the development of future restoration projects and maximise the value of restoration monitoring. Outputs • Best-practice toolkit / final project report [written]

This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub bridging study - "A photo-identification study of southern right whales to update aggregation area classification in the southwest of Australia". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata. -------------------- The southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) is listed as Endangered under the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) and is subject to conservation listings in five Australian states due to severe population declines caused by historical whaling. The Southern Right Whale Conservation Management Plan 2011–2021 outlines the current status of, and threats to, the southern right whale in Australian waters and prioritises recovery actions during this period. The long-term vision for the recovery of this species in Australian waters is to increase the population size to a level that the conservation status improves, and the species no longer qualifies for listing as threatened under any of the EPBC Act listing criteria. The plan must be periodically updated to reflect new knowledge and prioritise the research needed to monitor population recovery and predict the impacts of threats such as climate change. Aerial surveys of southern right whales have been conducted across the southern Australian coast from Perth (W.A.) to Ceduna (S.A.) since 1993, as part of a long-term program to monitor the recovery, and inform the Conservation Management Plan (2011-2021), for this Endangered species. In Australia’s south-east, there has been little sign of recovery in southern right whale numbers following intense commercial whaling. A working hypothesis assumes separation between the ‘western’ and ‘eastern’ populations, largely due to loss of ‘cultural memory’ of whales migrating to the eastern range breeding areas. Given the relative paucity of animals that visit the southern Australian coast in areas other than south-west Australia, the western population is considered to represent the majority of the ‘Australian’ southern right whale population. The count data from these aerial surveys provide data on population trend and estimates of population size for the ‘western’ population, and hence the majority of the Australian southern right whales. Associated photo-identification data provide life history information (such as calving intervals) and connectivity between the ‘western’ and ‘eastern’ populations and contribute to the national southern right whale photo-id database: the Australasian Right Whale Photo-Identification Catalogue (ARWPIC). The 2020 aerial survey program recorded substantially lower numbers of whales than in the previous 13 years, and the lowest number of non-calving whales since the program started. This project conducted new aerial surveying in August 2021 to provide a relative estimate of annual population size for determining longer term population trends and contribute to determining if 2020 was an anomalous year or an indicator of some longer-term change to recent recovery rates and the female breeding cycle. Outputs • Aerial whale survey data (counts by size class, number, and location) - 2021-22 season [dataset] • Individual whale photo-identification data - 2021-22 season [imagery - published to ARWPIC] • Final Project Report including a short summary of recommendations for policy makers of key findings [written]

This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub emerging priorities study - "Application of environmental DNA to survey Bathurst Harbour Tasmania for the endangered Maugean skate". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata. -------------------- The Maugean skate (Zearaja maugeana) is listed as Endangered under Tasmania’s Threatened Species Protection Act and the Commonwealth Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. Its known population is small (~3,000 individuals, Macquarie Harbour, 2016) and highly restricted, having only been recorded in two isolated estuaries: Bathurst Harbour and Macquarie Harbour in south-western/western Tasmania. This constitutes one of the most limited distributions of any known extant elasmobranch. Although the skate was first discovered in Bathurst Harbour, most knowledge of the species stems from the Macquarie Harbour population. Only four individuals have been reported in Bathurst Harbour, with the last reported sighting in 1992. Environmental conditions in Macquarie Harbour have changed markedly since then due to anthropogenic activities in and around the estuary including historical mining, hydro-electric generation and alteration of natural river flows, and marine fish farming. Previous research has shown clear signs of population stress and evidence of detrimental impacts of degraded environmental conditions on the Maugean Skate in Macquarie Harbour. Understanding the potential population status of the Maugean Skate in Bathurst Harbour will assist in determining conservation actions. This study used Environmental (e) DNA to determine the presence/absence of Maugean skate in Bathurst Harbour, strengthening the evidence base for effective conservation plans and specific recovery actions. Outputs • Maugean skate eDNA sampling data and inferred species distribution (presence/absence) [dataset] • Final Project Report, including a short summary of recommendations for policy makers of key findings [written]