Declining marine monitoring threatens coastal ecosystem protection in Europe.
The EU Water Framework Directive aims to improve the health of European surface waters by 2015. However, marine monitoring in countries like the Netherlands has decreased since the 1980s, making it hard to assess coastal ecosystems. To meet the Directive's goals, a new monitoring strategy is needed, focusing on the complexity of coastal systems. This includes combining water quality and biological monitoring, shifting from station-based to system-based monitoring, and using computer models to analyze data. By integrating community structure and system functioning in monitoring, we can better understand and protect coastal ecosystems.