Nationally consistent and cost-effective tools and approaches have been developed to survey, monitor and understand impacts and risks in the marine environment. These are enhancing the capacity of researchers and industry (oil and gas, fisheries) to collect information that supports decision-making.

Federal and state agencies involved in biodiversity management are helping to identify and develop elements of a national marine monitoring strategy (logistics, statistics and data infrastructure). Opportunities are being identified for improving co-management of the marine estate for conservation, fishing, oil and gas and other marine users.

Analysis methods and software have been assessed to support standard operating procedures for survey design, condition-assessment and trend detection. An improved data-driven approach is helping to identify processes that structure marine biodiversity and contribute to the revision of marine bioregionalisation.

Baseline information is continuing to be gathered to identify the conservation value of matters of national environmental significance - including Key Ecological Features (KEFs) and Commonwealth Marine Reserves - and improve public understanding of their value and potential vulnerability. Priorities include shelf reef systems, and previously unsampled deep-sea regions of the east coast CMR network.

Scoping studies are synthesising existing information for monitoring and management of KEFs and CMRs in the North and North-west regions.