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 scoping study - "Scoping for an Australian Wetland Inventory: identifying knowledge gaps and solutions for mapping Australian marine and coastal wetlands". No data outputs were generated by this project. -------------------- Marine and coastal wetlands provide extensive ecosystem services—protecting shorelines, improving water quality, supporting healthy fisheries, promoting tourism, storing carbon, and holding cultural significance for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Like many wetlands around the world, Australian wetlands continue to be threatened, degraded, and lost due to climate change, development, and other human activities. To support the Australian Government’s development of a national wetland inventory, this project assessed the current state of coastal wetland mapping across five key areas: seagrass, saltmarsh, intertidal macroalgae, shorebird habitat, and blue carbon. It identified major knowledge and inventory gaps through a combination of literature review and consultation with 73 end-users and experts, resulting in 25 targeted recommendations to guide future mapping and data integration. A summary of the status of mapping habitat attributes and ecosystem services such as blue carbon, coastal protection and shorebird habitat is available in the project's Final Technical Report. This report incudes recommendations to guide investment in high-demand areas and support nationally consistent wetland management and reporting to address key knowledge gaps. Outputs • Report reviewing and synthesising knowledge gaps in inventory mapping of marine and coastal wetlands, identifying effective solutions, and guiding subsequent research projects for enhancing wetland mapping [written]

This dataset has been superseded by https://metadata.imas.utas.edu.au/geonetwork/srv/eng/catalog.search#/metadata/0145df96-3847-474b-8b63-a66f0e03ff54 (Victorian Statewide Marine Habitat Map 2023). The Victorian Benthic Habitats - Western Port Bay (CBICS) is a synthesis of all existing benthic habitat characterisations of the embayment which have been reclassified to conform to the Combined Biotope Classification Scheme (CBiCS). Base layers for the synthesised dataset were sourced from data provided by: Marine and Freshwater Resources Institute, Queenscliff, Victoria Institute for Sustainability and Innovation, Victoria University, Melbourne. Parks Victoria, Victorian Government Deakin University, Victoria Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, Victorian Government

This dataset has been superseded by https://metadata.imas.utas.edu.au/geonetwork/srv/eng/catalog.search#/metadata/0145df96-3847-474b-8b63-a66f0e03ff54 (Victorian Statewide Marine Habitat Map 2023). The Victorian Benthic Habitats - Gippsland Lakes (CBICS) is a synthesis of all existing benthic habitat characterisations of the Gippsland Lakes Region which have been reclassified to conform to the Combined Biotope Classification Scheme (CBiCS). The study area for this layer is defined as Jack Smith Lake in the west to Mallacoota in the east.

This dataset has been superseded by https://metadata.imas.utas.edu.au/geonetwork/srv/eng/catalog.search#/metadata/0145df96-3847-474b-8b63-a66f0e03ff54 (Victorian Statewide Marine Habitat Map 2023). The Victorian Benthic Habitats - Port Phillip Bay (CBICS) is a synthesis of all existing benthic habitat characterisations of the embayment which have been reclassified to conform to the Combined Biotope Classification Scheme (CBiCS). Base information for the synthesised dataset were sourced from data provided by: Marine and Freshwater Resources Institute, Queenscliff, Victoria Institute for Sustainability and Innovation, Victoria University, Melbourne. Parks Victoria, Victorian Government Deakin University, Victoria Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, Victorian Government