One-stop ocean data hub could help protect seas and communities 

The report, a joint project between Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML), the Marine Biological Association and the Marine Environmental Data and Information Network (MEDIN), presents the findings of a project that explored stakeholder perspectives on improving long-term access to marine socio-economic data. 

Commissioned by Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) through the Marine Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment (mNCEA) programme, the research explored how social and economic marine data can be made more accessible, discoverable and usable alongside environmental data to support holistic decision-making in marine and coastal environments. 

While environmental marine data is relatively well established and accessible, social and economic datasets – which capture information about livelihoods, industries, communities and cultural value – are often fragmented, hard to find or difficult to integrate into policy processes. 

To address this gap, the project gathered insights from stakeholders across government, academia, industry and consultancy through interviews. Participants were asked about current barriers to data access, priorities for improvement, and the feasibility of new approaches to marine data management. 

The findings reveal widespread agreement that improving access to marine social and economic data is essential for embedding natural capital* approaches into policy – for the benefit of the environment and people alike. 

* What is natural capital? Natural capital refers to the world’s stock of natural assets – like land, forests, water, soil, air, and biodiversity – that provide essential ecosystem services and benefits, such as food, clean water, flood protection, and raw materials, underpinning human life, society, and the economy. 

One of the clearest outcomes of the study was strong support for a centralised directory to act as a single “front door” to search for marine social and economic data. Stakeholders highlighted that such a directory would reduce duplication of effort, improve discoverability and help decision-makers understand what data already exists. 

Importantly, the study found strong support for integrating social and economic data with environmental datasets, rather than managing them in isolation. Stakeholders stressed that meaningful marine decision-making depends on understanding how environmental change interacts with human activities, livelihoods and wellbeing. 

Key findings include: 

• Strong demand for a centralised directory: 94% of stakeholders support a single portal, ideally under MEDIN, to improve discoverability and integration with environmental data. 

• Need for standardised guidelines and vocabularies: Stakeholders emphasised the importance of FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) and harmonised metadata standards to ensure usability across sectors. 

• Support for a dedicated DAC: While resource constraints remain a concern, most participants agree that a marine social and economic DAC is vital for long-term data preservation and accessibility. 

• Call for an inclusive action plan: Stakeholders advocate for a collaborative roadmap involving government, academia, and industry to drive progress and overcome barriers such as resource limitations, ethical considerations, and fragmented data practices. 

Together, these steps provide a foundation for more inclusive, accessible and integrated marine data systems – supporting Defra’s wider strategic goals and the long-term management of marine and coastal environments. 

PML’s Dr Samantha Garrard, Marine Ecosystem Services Researcher, said: 

“Until about 20 years ago, marine monitoring focused almost entirely on environmental data. As we increasingly recognise the need to integrate social and economic information into marine management and policy, we now have the opportunity to build more effective data‑discovery systems and manage our oceans more holistically.” 

Access the full report, ‘Marine Natural Capital Data Access’ via the Defra website >>