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Abstract

Global biodiversity frameworks require robust, representative indicators to effectively track progress towards conservation targets. Spatial and temporal gaps in global marine biodiversity datasets, however, and a limited number of marine biodiversity indicators, limit our ability to effectively manage marine ecosystems. Despite the ecological and socio-economic significance of marine ecosystems, they remain underrepresented in current indicator suites, particularly in the recently adopted Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF). Gelatinous zooplankton (GZ), a key yet often overlooked component of marine ecosystems, have the potential to strengthen biodiversity assessments through their responsiveness to environmental change and impacts on several contributions of the ocean to people. This study evaluates the marine relevance of the KMGBF's headline, component, and complementary indicators and identifies where GZ data can inform these metrics. We find that 61% of indicators for the environmentally and policy focused Targets 1–13, are relevant to the marine realm. Through a rapid evidence review and examination of existing policy frameworks, we demonstrate that GZ monitoring data can meaningfully contribute to at least seven KMGBF headline indicators, particularly in relation to invasive species, ecosystem restoration, sustainable use, and nature's contributions to people. We propose practical steps to incorporate GZ into global indicator systems via Essential Ocean Variables, highlighting the urgent need to integrate GZ data into biodiversity monitoring. Advancing the inclusion of GZ can support more comprehensive and policy-relevant assessments of marine biodiversity under the KMGBF.

Publication Date

2026-04-04

Publication Title

Ecological Indicators

Volume

186

ISSN

1470-160X

Acceptance Date

2026-03-28

Deposit Date

2026-04-10

Funding

MF would like to acknowledge funding from the University of Plymouth, UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and The Alan Turing Institute. AMG is grateful for the funding received from the UK Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) through the marine arm of their Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment (NCEA) programme (NC34 Pelagic program-“PelCap”). The marine NCEA programme led the way in supporting Government ambition to integrate natural capital approaches into decision making for the marine environment. AMG was supported by the UK Natural Environmental Research Council Knowledge Exchange Fellowship Scheme (NE/L002663/1).

Keywords

Convention on biological diversity, Ecological indicators, Marine biodiversity, Marine policy, Monitoring, Plankton

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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