Australia ocean roadmap aims to link ecology, economy and communities
A new Ocean Accounts roadmap sets out how Australia could combine marine data with social, cultural and economic evidence.
By Tom Brennan · Health & Medicine Correspondent
3 min read
A national roadmap for Ocean Accounts is proposing a more connected way for Australia to assess the condition and use of its oceans. The University of Western Australia said the work could help governments, industries and communities make decisions that weigh ocean health alongside economic activity, governance and community well-being.
Dr. Tai Loureiro, from UWA’s Oceans Institute and School of Biological Sciences, contributed to the roadmap as part of a national group of researchers and practitioners. UWA said the group developed an Ocean Accounting White Paper for the National Marine Science Committee, one of 21 papers feeding into the next National Marine Science Strategy 2026–2036.
The work has also been published as a peer-reviewed article, “An implementation roadmap for Australia’s Ocean Accounts,” in the Australian Journal of Maritime & Ocean Affairs, according to UWA. The paper is linked to broader efforts to build evidence systems that show how marine ecosystems, ocean industries and communities affect one another.
What Ocean Accounts would measure
UWA said Ocean Accounts are designed to connect information now often gathered in separate systems. Those areas include ecosystem condition, environmental change, economic activity, social and cultural values, governance, risk and sustainability.
Loureiro said the approach is not intended to place one price or score on the ocean. Instead, she said, it is meant to create a stronger shared evidence base for decisions made by public agencies, businesses and communities.
According to UWA, Loureiro’s role drew on her work in marine biology, ecology and ocean governance. Her contribution emphasized links between marine ecological data and the social and institutional settings that influence decisions about ocean use.
The roadmap also recognizes that different communities, industries and knowledge holders relate to the ocean in different ways, UWA said. It highlights the inclusion of Indigenous, traditional and local knowledge where communities choose to take part, and where cultural protocols, governance arrangements and data sovereignty principles are in place.
A staged plan for national accounts
The roadmap sets out short-, medium- and long-term steps for putting Ocean Accounts into use in Australia, according to UWA. Early priorities include improving data foundations and coordination, while medium-term work would focus on standardizing and combining accounts across jurisdictions.
Longer term, the roadmap calls for routine production of comprehensive national Ocean Accounts, UWA said. Loureiro said such accounts could help decision-makers understand trade-offs, track changes over time and consider both ocean use and ocean condition.
UWA said a central point of the work is that Australia’s oceans cannot be assessed only through indicators such as production, employment or industry value. Loureiro said ocean ecosystems also contribute to food security, coastal protection, recreation, cultural connections, community well-being, climate regulation and long-term sustainable development.
The university said Australia is well placed to contribute to international development of Ocean Accounts. It framed the roadmap as part of a shift away from measuring ocean sectors in isolation and toward evidence that connects science, policy and practice.
More information on the published article is available through the DOI record.
This story draws on original reporting from Phys.org.