As global marine biodiversity faces increasing threats from climate change, pollution, and overfishing, understanding the complex dynamics of ocean ecosystems is more urgent than ever. The Asia-Pacific region (APR) is home to the world's most diverse marine life, yet efforts to monitor and protect these ecosystems are often fragmented across national boundaries and scientific disciplines.

In response to this challenge, a multi-disciplinary, international team of researchers from institutions across the APR has published a new perspective outlining how physical oceanography, environmental genomics, and ecological observations can be more effectively integrated to enhance marine biodiversity monitoring. These findings are a huge step forward to promote international collaboration with the intention of protecting one of our most vital resources: the ocean.

The findings were published in Frontiers in Marine Science on October 23, 2025.

This research points out a major shortfall in marine science. Although many countries are already collecting valuable ocean and biodiversity data, these efforts are often kept siloed away. To address this, the authors propose developing shared, cross-border frameworks for ecosystem monitoring to strengthen collaboration among nations and institutions.

"The best way for us to understand more about the APR oceans - ecosystem change, species adaptation, and climate resilience - is by promoting data transparency," explains first author Hanani Adiwira of the Advanced Institute for Marine Ecosystem Change (WPI-AIMEC). "Without coordinated, high-quality data sharing, it becomes difficult to detect patterns, anticipate shifts, and prevent further irreversible damage to marine ecosystems."

This research study is a comprehensive review of the literature regarding APR marine ecosystems. It remarks on how existing international data-sharing programs such as Argo and ANEMONE can serve as a basis to create such a system within the APR. Their results demonstrate how coordinated, transparent efforts can lead to new innovations that could not be accomplished by any one country.

In addition, further data were gleaned from a co-hosted workshop held at Tohoku University where APR researchers across the globe belonging to different disciplines shared valuable insights about how to make this data-sharing network a reality. This effort is part of WPI-AIMEC's goal of uniting researchers for international, interdisciplinary collaboration efforts.

"The APR is a complex region, so we cannot simply generalize data from other areas," says Adiwira. "Our research pointed out key challenges unique to the APR and how we can try to tackle them, together."

These marine ecosystems are vital to the livelihoods, economies, and cultural practices of millions across the region, making their conservation an urgent priority. We rely on the ocean in many ways. By improving how we gather and share ocean data, this work helps ensure that scientific knowledge is used more effectively to protect marine ecosystems and the communities that depend on them.

Publication Details:

Title: Pathways to an integrated understanding of marine environments and ecosystems in the Asia-Pacific Region

Authors: Hanani Adiwira, Sayaka Yasunaka, Jamie M. Kass, Ayşe H. O. Açıkbaş, Sekar Adiningsih, Emma Gairin, Hovaldo B. C. Ilham, Elisa Lahcene, Yanguo Li, Gaku Nishihira, Paula Peñalver-Pereira, Florence M. P. Sie, Charina Lyn Amedo-Repollo, Cheryl L. Ames, David Armitage, Åke Brännström, Ulf Dieckmann, Toyonobu Fujii, Filip Husnik, Michio Kawamiya, Takako Masuda, Charles Plessy, Lauren Sallan, Teruhisa Shimada, Sherwood Lan Smith, Peter G. Strutton, Anindya Wirasatriya, Toshio Suga

Journal: Frontiers in Marine Science

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2025.1680145