Charting a Course for Future Marine Monitoring: Driving Collaboration for Enhanced Sustainability

Project Aim:

The aim of the project was to consolidate existing work, conduct expert interviews, and propose novel strategies for transforming marine monitoring practices to better meet our needs for sustainable ocean management. It aimed to understand previous work in this complex area, address evolving requirements, understand the key problems and make steps towards coordinating monitoring efforts across government entities to support evidence-based decision-making and sustainable management of marine resources.

Project Outcome:

The project successfully consolidated existing work, gathered insights from expert interviews, and proposed strategies for the transformation of marine monitoring practices. The outcome included a scoping report and roadmap for achieving a shared vision of the future for marine and fisheries monitoring, establishing a question-driven monitoring framework and building shared ownership of the challenge of delivering change. The recommendations aimed to contribute towards enhanced evidence-based decision-making and promote sustainable management of marine resources through improved monitoring systems that are coordinated and requirements-led.

HMC was commissioned by Defra’s Strategic Data & Evidence team to conduct a one-month project focused on the future transformation of marine monitoring. The objective of the project was to consolidate existing work within Defra, identify the key challenges, and explore opportunities for improving marine and fisheries monitoring practices to meet evolving requirements. The project aimed to support evidence-based decision-making, take a systems-led approach to promote cross-government integration, and foster collaboration in monitoring efforts.

To achieve this, HMC undertook a review of existing thinking, structured interviews with key experts in the field, and gathered valuable insights and perspectives. This process helped identify key challenges and opportunities associated with the coordination of monitoring efforts across government bodies to meet the evolving requirements of policy and decision makers. The project aimed to provide clarity on the most important issues, gather insights from key stakeholders and use this information to map out a path to future evolution of the marine and fisheries monitoring system.

The project delivered a comprehensive scoping report and roadmap for Defra which outlined the path forward for addressing the identified challenges. HMC worked at pace to develop novel strategies and recommendations to enhance the future effectiveness and efficiency of marine monitoring systems.

Through this project, HMC and Defra’s Strategic Data & Evidence team aimed to drive forward a transformation in marine monitoring practices, by building a good understanding of the current situation, identifying the most important issues and defining novel strategies for addressing them. The outcomes of this project will support evidence-based decision-making, foster collaboration across government entities, and contribute to the sustainable management of marine and fisheries resources.

Related Projects

Delivering Marine Net Gain

Delivering Marine Net Gain

HMC undertook an analysis of the UK government policy and delivery landscape to support Defra in understanding how the concept of Marine Net...

View Project

Development of a Strategic Management Framework for Marine Protected Areas in Seychelles

Development of a Strategic Management Framework for Marine Protected Areas in Seychelles

HMC provided ocean governance expertise to develop a strategic framework to guide both the development and implementation of management plans for Marine Protected...

View Project

Ocean Recovery

Ocean Recovery

WWF, together with Sky Ocean Rescue, delivered a campaign to set the UK on a path to ocean recovery. This campaign covered WWF...

View Project

We use third-party cookies to personalise content and analyse site traffic.

Learn more