Technical Guidance Circulars

TG Completed

Circular ID	TG
Status	Completed

1The Technical Guidance provides a comprehensive, modular methodology for compiling ocean accounts — structured frameworks that integrate environmental, economic, and social data about marine and coastal systems. It is designed for a diverse readership, from national statisticians and ecosystem analysts to policy executives and finance practitioners. Each circular is self-contained, so you can read them in any order that suits your needs.

2New to ocean accounting?

3Start with Circular 0.1: General Introduction for the conceptual framework, then use Circular 0.5: Navigating the Technical Guidance to find a reading pathway matched to your role and interests.

4Publication status

5The Technical Guidance is under active development. Most circulars are in Draft status, meaning content is substantially written and available for reading, but still under review by the GOAP Technical Expert Panel. Draft circulars represent the current best guidance and are updated regularly. Planned circulars have defined scope but content is not yet available.

Circular Sections

Section 0: Concepts, Definitions and Front Matter

1Foundation materials including conceptual framework, standards overview, and quality assurance principles.

ID	Title	Badge	Status
0.1	General Introduction to Ocean Accounts	Core	Completed
0.2	Overview of Relevant Statistical Standards	Core	Draft
0.3	General Acknowledgements	Core	Draft
0.4	Structure and Focus of the Technical Guidance	Core	Draft
0.5	Navigating the Technical Guidance	Core	Completed
0.6	Glossary of Key Terms	Core	Draft
0.7	Quality Assurance Principles	Applied	Draft
0.8	Implementation Readiness Assessment	Applied	Draft

Section 1: Using Ocean Accounts in Decision-Making

1How ocean accounts inform policy, planning, finance, and management decisions.

ID	Title	Badge	Status
1.1	OA and national budget processes	Applied	Draft
1.2	OA and marine spatial planning	Applied	Draft
1.3	OA and marine spatial management (including MPAs)	Applied	Draft
1.4	OA and Sustainable Ocean Planning	Applied	Draft
1.5	OA and fisheries management	Applied	Draft
1.6	OA and environmental impact assessment	Applied	Draft
1.7	OA and multilateral development finance	Applied	Draft
1.8	OA and project-level finance	Applied	Draft
1.9	Safe usage of monetary valuation	Core	Draft
1.10	OA and National Planning Integration	Applied	Draft
1.11	Ocean Accounts and Private Sector Decision-Making	Emerging	Draft

Section 2: Compiling Indicators from Ocean Accounts

1Guidance on deriving indicators for policy monitoring and reporting.

ID	Title	Badge	Status
2.1	Aggregate biophysical indicators	Applied	Draft
2.2	Macro-economic dependencies	Applied	Draft
2.3	Social and livelihood dependencies	Applied	Draft
2.4	Ecosystem goods and services	Applied	Draft
2.5	Ocean economy structure	Applied	Draft
2.6	Ocean-related investment	Applied	Draft
2.7	Pollution and flows to environment	Applied	Draft
2.8	Climate change indicators	Applied	Draft
2.9	Disaster risk indicators	Applied	Draft
2.10	MEA indicators	Applied	Draft
2.11	Resource efficiency indicators	Applied	Draft
2.12	Spatial Data Frameworks	Applied	Planned
2.13	Governance and Institutional Indicators	Applied	Draft

Section 3: Compiling Ocean Accounts from Relevant Data

1Core methodology for building accounts tables.

ID	Title	Badge	Status
3.1	Asset accounts	Applied	Draft
3.2	Flows from environment to economy	Applied	Draft
3.3	Economic activity	Applied	Draft
3.4	Flows from economy to environment	Applied	Draft
3.5	Social accounts	Emerging	Draft
3.6	Traditional Knowledge	Emerging	Draft
3.7	Governance accounts	Emerging	Draft
3.8	Combined presentations	Applied	Draft
3.9	Aquaculture accounts	Applied	Draft
3.10	Offshore energy accounts	Applied	Draft
3.11	Sub-National Ocean Accounts	Emerging	Draft
3.12	Accounting for People	Emerging	Draft
3.13	Gender Equality and Social Inclusion	Emerging	Draft
3.14	Ethics and Data Governance	Emerging	Draft
3.15	Quantitative-Qualitative Integration	Emerging	Draft

Section 4: Compiling and Producing Data

1Data collection, processing, and quality assurance methods.

ID	Title	Badge	Status
4.1	Remote sensing and geospatial data	Applied	Draft
4.2	Survey methods	Applied	Draft
4.3	Administrative data sources	Applied	Draft
4.4	Citizen science	Emerging	Draft
4.5	Research data integration	Applied	Draft
4.6	Data harmonisation	Applied	Draft
4.7	National Data Coordination Architectures	Applied	Draft
4.8	Physical Condition Measurement	Applied	Planned
4.9	Biological Condition Measurement	Applied	Planned
4.10	Extending Fisheries Statistics for Ecosystem-Based Management	Applied	Planned
4.11	Aligning Research Statistical Modelling with Official Statistical Methods	Applied	Planned
4.12	Transboundary Data Sharing and Integration	Applied	Planned

Section 5: Geographic and Thematic Case Studies

1Real-world implementation examples from partner countries. Case studies are forthcoming and will be developed in collaboration with country teams.

ID	Title	Badge	Status
5.1	Australia	Applied	Planned
5.2	Belize	Applied	Planned
5.3	Fiji	Applied	Planned
5.4	India	Applied	Planned
5.5	Indonesia	Applied	Planned
5.6	Maldives	Applied	Planned
5.7	Thailand	Applied	Planned
5.8	United States	Applied	Planned
5.9	Vanuatu	Applied	Planned
5.10	Vietnam	Applied	Planned
5.11	Kenya	Applied	Draft
5.13	Madagascar	Applied	Draft

Section 6: Thematic Methodologies

1Deep-dive methodologies for specific ecosystem types and sectors.

ID	Title	Badge	Status
6.1	Coral reef ecosystem accounting	Applied	Draft
6.2	Mangrove and coastal wetland	Applied	Draft
6.3	Seagrass ecosystem	Applied	Draft
6.4	Kelp forest and temperate reef	Emerging	Draft
6.5	Pelagic and open ocean	Emerging	Draft
6.6	Deep sea and ABNJ	Emerging	Draft
6.7	Fisheries/stock assessment	Applied	Draft
6.8	Aquaculture thematic	Applied	Draft
6.9	Offshore energy thematic	Emerging	Draft
6.10	Maritime transport and ports	Applied	Draft
6.11	Coastal infrastructure	Applied	Draft
6.12	Marine litter and plastics	Applied	Draft
6.13	Freshwater-Marine Interaction Accounting	Emerging	Draft

Stability Classification

1Circulars are classified by their stability:

Badge	Meaning
Core	Based on adopted international standards (2025 SNA, SEEA CF, SEEA EA)
Applied	Interprets standards for ocean context; stable but may evolve
Emerging	Addresses topics where standards are still developing

2See Circular 0.5: Navigating the Technical Guidance for full details on versioning and audience pathways.

About the Technical Guidance

1The Technical Guidance on Ocean Accounting is developed by the Global Ocean Accounts Partnership (GOAP) to support national and subnational implementation of ocean accounts. Circulars are published on a monthly cadence following review by the GOAP Technical Expert Panel.

2For more information about GOAP, visit the Global Ocean Accounts Partnership.