This metadata record provides a brief overview of the National Environmental Science Program (NESP) Marine and Coastal (MaC) Hub. The record acts as an aggregation point for all NESP Marine and Coastal Hub data collections and projects developed as part of this research program. The National Environmental Science Program (NESP) is a long-term commitment by the Australian Government to environment and climate research. The first phase invested $145 million (2014-15 to 2020-21) into 6 research hubs. The second phase invests $149 million (2020-21 to 2026-27) into 4 new research hubs. The program builds on its predecessors – the National Environmental Research Program (NERP) and the Australian Climate Change Science Programme (ACCSP) – to support decision-makers to understand, manage and conserve Australia’s environment by funding world-class biodiversity and climate science. The Marine and Coastal Hub is a collaborative partnership supported by funding from the Australian Government administered by the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment. The current NESP funding program runs from 2021 to 2027. The Marine and Coastal Hub is co-administered by the University of Tasmania (UTAS), and the Reef and Rainforest Research Centre (RRRC). The Marine and Coastal Hub will deliver: • applied research to support management of Australia’s marine and coastal environments including estuaries, coast, reefs, shelf and deep-water • targeted biodiversity and taxonomy products to support efficient system monitoring • environmental monitoring systems and decision-support tools. The hub will also drive coordinated research across all 4 new hubs under NESP’s ‘protected place management’ cross-cutting mission. This research will support management of Australia’s protected places and heritage, including the national park estate and Ramsar sites in both marine and terrestrial environments. Research products from the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub are available from https://nespmarinecoastal.edu.au and the Australian Ocean Data Network catalogue (http://catalogue.aodn.org.au)

This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub project "Advancing national standards and best practices to monitor key marine values and pressures". No data outputs were generated by this project. -------------------- This project advances the establishment and use of national standards and best practices to monitor the condition status of priority values and pressures of Australia’s marine estate. It builds on national standards and best practice process developed in the previous NESP Marine Biodiversity Hub to produce three new national standards for monitoring (drop cameras, socioeconomic surveys of marine users, marine microplastics). A practical implementation was developed to embed the application of standards, with particular attention to inclusive and diverse approaches (e.g. engagement of community groups and Indigenous partnerships). The plan sets out a future path to develop, maintain and make available national standards; increase their uptake; and assess effectiveness and impact as related to the delivery of priority monitoring activities. Outputs • Workshop and questionnaire report gauging the needs of scientists, Indigenous communities, and marine managers [written] • Scientific publication on marine best practice development [written] • New national standards for (1) drop cameras; (2) socioeconomic surveys; and (3) microplastics studies [written] • Implementation plan (final report) [written]

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. -------------------- In the last decade Australia’s researchers have made significant progress to provide managers with data and data products to inform the planning and establishment of Australian Marine Parks (AMPs). However, further work is required to adequately meet the data product requirements for assessing AMP management effectiveness. This project addresses this problem by: 1) Identifying priority data and data products to support characterisation of marine systems and reporting on AMP monitoring priorities; 2) Assessing availability and delivery mechanisms of high priority data and data products and whether they are fit for purpose; and 3) Estimating condition of park values (excluding cultural values) and assessing management effectiveness with available data/knowledge. This project advances the Hub’s Protected Place Management Initiative and contributes to the national need for improving access to data and expanding the Australian Ocean Data Network. 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

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. This is primarily because restoration practices are piecemeal and driven by local drivers and are generally not conducted at scales of seagrass loss. 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. It also build on ongoing restoration trials to test the proposed framework: assessing sediment quality and manipulations (Gamay Rangers, UNSW); use of sediment filled hessian tubes for seed and seedling capture (Malgana Rangers, UWA), and: scaling up seed collection for seed-based restoration (Seeds for Snapper, OZFISH, UWA). 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 - "Quantifying the ecosystem services of the Great Southern Reef". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata. -------------------- The Great Southern Reef (GSR) is an interconnected system of reefs dominated by kelp forests spanning over 8,000 km along southern Australia. It is a global hotspot for marine biodiversity and endemism, and one of the most productive ecosystems on Earth. Kelp forests, however, are diminishing and evidence-based management is hindered without accurate estimates of their contribution to society and the economy. This project systematically compiled and synthesised existing data on the ecosystem values and services provided by the GSR, including market and non-market values. These assessments were aligned with existing accounting standards to ensure compatibility with ongoing and future efforts. The outcome presented the first steps in the iterative process of quantifying the economic value of ecosystem services provided by the Great Southern Reef. Outputs • Inventory of data collated and assessed for the purpose of developing ecosystem accounts for GSR • Final technical report with analysed data, 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 Research Plan 2023 project 3.7 – Identifying and overcoming barriers to coastal and marine habitat restoration and Nature based Solutions in Australia. All outputs of this project are written (i.e. no data outputs). -------------------- There is an increasing need for and investment in coastal and marine restoration around Australia to help manage habitat and biodiversity loss, water quality, coastal inundation and erosion, and blue carbon assets. These projects are undertaken by a range of Commonwealth, state and local government agencies, NGOs, and community groups, and range across different habitat types and scale. However, a number of barriers currently preclude widespread uptake and implementation of habitat restoration and nature-based solutions (NbS) in Australia, which centre on: 1) policy and legislative barriers; 2) engineering adoption of NbS; and 3) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander inclusion and co-design. Overcoming barriers to marine and coastal restoration, and Nature-based Solutions (NbS) adoption is critical to safeguarding Australia’s marine estate. We focus this research on three thematic areas that represent roadblocks and opportunities for more inclusion in implementing and scaling-up restoration and NbS: 1. Engaging policy and permitting regulators to identify and breakdown barriers for marine and coastal habitat restoration; 2. Understanding and up-take of NbS by the engineering sector; and 3. Inclusion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in restoration and NbS This research was conducted through in person and virtual workshops, with the outcome being advancement of effective approaches to overcome these challenges. Outputs • Identifying and overcoming barriers to marine and coastal habitat restoration and nature-based solutions in Australia [project summary - written] • A blueprint for overcoming barriers to the use of nature-based coastal protection in Australia [written] • Legislative permitting processes for restoration [written] • Pathways to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander inclusion and co-design in restoration [written]

This data is from the 2021 'Seeds for Snapper' season which is a community volunteer seed based seagrass restoration program located in Perth, Western Australia. It details the effort that went into the collection of Posidonia australis seagrass fruit including number of divers, number of shore support personnel, volunteered hours, and fruit collection metrics (volume, estimated number).

Decision-makers seek to account for the socioeconomic values of environmental assets. However, understanding the available frameworks and data can be a barrier. We address this here by summarising the data used across four case studies (3 geographic regions and 3 socio-economic value frameworks) to demonstrate what data are available and how they are applied to support decisions in varied contexts. See 'Lineage' section of this record for additional methodology.