Advancing Marine Megafauna Monitoring and Conservation: Emerging Methods, Data Integration, and Assessment Frameworks

Marine megafauna — cetaceans, sea turtles, sharks and rays, pinnipeds, and seabirds — are sentinels of ocean health and among the most vulnerable groups to human pressure. Their wide ranges, mobility, and often low detectability make them notoriously difficult to monitor, yet sound monitoring is the foundation of every conservation decision made on their behalf, from bycatch mitigation to the design of marine protected areas.The past decade has transformed what is technically possible. Environmental DNA, passive acoustic monitoring, satellite and biologging telemetry, uncrewed aerial and surface vehicles, and AI-assisted image and signal processing now generate observations at scales and resolutions unthinkable a generation ago. Yet this progress has outpaced our ability to integrate it. Data remain fragmented across platforms, methods, and jurisdictions; long-term time series are underused; and the translation of raw observations into robust indicators and management-ready assessments lags behind the technology itself. Closing this gap — between data generation and conservation action — is the central challenge this Research Topic addresses.We invite original research, reviews, methods papers, data reports, and perspectives that move the field from observation to evidence-based action. Contributions of interest include, but are not limited to:Emerging monitoring technologies and methods: eDNA, passive acoustics, telemetry and biologging, UAVs and uncrewed platforms, and AI-assisted detection and classification;Integration of multi-source and multi-method data into coherent monitoring frameworks;Long-term monitoring programmes and the analysis of time-series datasets to detect trends and change;Assessment frameworks, biodiversity indicators, and evaluation tools that link monitoring to policy (including MSFD and comparable instruments);FAIR data principles, open-data initiatives, and shared infrastructures that make monitoring data reusable and interoperable;Detection and attribution of responses to environmental change and cumulative human pressures;Applications to marine spatial planning, protected-area design, and conservation management.By bringing these strands together, this collection aims to show how methodological and analytical advances can be turned into reliable, transferable evidence — strengthening the long-term protection and management of marine megafauna worldwide. Topic editors: Ana Mafalda Tomás Correia, Raul Valente, Camilo Saavedra Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/83168/advancing-marine-megafauna-monitoring-and-conservation-emerging-methods-data-integration-and-assessment-frameworks