Policy brief: Advancing monitoring of plankton and other pelagic organisms for marine biodiversity policy implementation

Effective implementation of European environmental policies—including the Marine Strategy Framework

Directive, Water Framework Directive, and the Nature Restoration Regulation—relies on accurate, consistent,

and policy-relevant habitat and biodiversity data. Plankton, as a key component of marine ecosystems and an

indicator of environmental status of the pelagic environment, plays a central role in these frameworks. However,

current monitoring efforts often fall short in capturing the full diversity and ecological functions. For example,

the lack of detection, discrimination and quantification of the smaller fraction plankton communities, as well as

the discrimination of cryptic species. Monitoring of larger pelagic organisms, such as fish, can also benefit from

advanced genomic tools, such as environmental DNA (eDNA).

This deliverable (D2.5) presents a policy brief developed under Task 2.6 of the OBAMA-NEXT project,

showcasing how selected Information Products (IP) contribute to improving monitoring of pelagic biodiversity

in support of EU policy goals. The brief builds on findings from Deliverable 6.1 (data requirements for policy

implementation) and Deliverable 2.1 (review of pelagic monitoring tools) and was co-developed with input from

several OBAMA-NEXT partners with different backgrounds and expertise. The IPs were selected based on their

policy relevance, level of advancement, and uniqueness to the OBAMA-NEXT project.

The IPs highlighted in this policy brief demonstrate how emerging tools—including eDNA, automated flow

cytometry and imaging, and remote sensing—can contribute to determine pelagic diversity and complement

the actual monitoring of pelagic biodiversity. Each IP links directly to one or more policy needs, offering scalable,

transferable approaches to address critical gaps in current monitoring frameworks. Key recommendations are

provided to guide the integration of these approaches into EU policy and support improved biodiversity

assessments and management decisions at both national and regional levels.