Article
BAMOS May 2026
13
A new national strategy for Australian ocean science
Rebecca Zitoun, Integrated Marine Observing System( rebecca. zitoun @ utas. edu. au) Ben Hague, Bureau of Meteorology( ben. hague @ bom. gov. au)
Australia now has a new decadal roadmap guiding its ocean science priorities, with the release of the National Marine Science Strategy 2026 – 36 in late March.
Coordinated by the National Marine Science Committee( NMSC), an advisory body comprising 38 organisations, universities and government departments, the Strategy sets out key national priorities and recommendations to guide research, investment and coordination over the coming decade.
It aims to address the increasingly complex challenges facing Australia’ s oceans – including more frequent and intense climate extremes, biodiversity loss and competing ocean uses – while also highlighting new socio-economic opportunities.
A national collective effort
The Strategy builds on the foundations of the National Marine Science Plan( 2015 – 2025) and its 2020 Midway Report, reflecting both the progress made and the evolving challenges and opportunities in Australia’ s marine environment.
The development of the Strategy represented a substantial collaborative effort involving more than 500 experts( including many AMOS members) from over 120 institutions across academia, government, industry and the broader community. These experts contributed to 21 white papers, which served as the foundation for the Strategy and informed its key priorities and recommendations.
The white papers are currently available on the NMSC website as draft versions and grouped under two themes – Challenges & Opportunities and Enablers – reflecting both the growing pressures facing Australia’ s oceans and the support and progress needed to address them. Of particular relevance to AMOS members is the white paper entitled Australia’ s changing oceans: Building knowledge for actionable outcomes, led by Bernadette Sloyan and Mark Hemer from CSIRO. Finalised papers will be published in a special issue of the Australian Journal of Maritime and Ocean Affairs in June.
The Strategy’ s recommendations
The Strategy sets out seven key recommendations to maximise impact over the coming decade:
• Establish long-term systems that embed First Nations knowledge, innovation and leadership in marine science.
• Develop a coordinated national ocean and climate prediction program that expands ocean observation and improves predictive modelling capacity.
• Develop a national program that delivers field demonstrations and verification standards and provides science-based pathways toward Australia’ s 2050 net-zero emissions target.
• Fund a national land-and-sea-research capability that provides social and economic insights, near-real-time observations and modelling, and cross-sector effort at strategically selected sites.
• Create a nationally integrated marine ecosystem assessment and modelling platform that consolidates marine data.
• Strengthen collaboration between agencies and enhance the use of advanced technology, such as AI, to better detect threats in Australia’ s maritime region.
• Develop an ocean management framework that includes ocean accounting, community engagement, and crosssector governance to guide the balance of economic use, productivity and resilience in ocean systems.
Looking ahead, the Strategy sets out a clear pathway towards healthy oceans and a thriving economy and emphasises the importance of connections across sectors and jurisdictions. More broadly, it also underscores the value of strengthening existing links and building new collaborations between AMOS scientists and researchers across marine and coastal sciences. Read the Strategy here.
National Marine Science Strategy 2026-36. Credit: National Marine Science Committee