A new article by Deborah Santos Prado, Ella-Kari Muhl, and colleagues reflects on lessons from the Integrated Marine Biosphere Research project and what they may offer for the future of ocean sustainability science.

The article brings together insights from IMBeR’s work on ocean systems under global change. It highlights the importance of connecting natural and social sciences, working across scales, and paying attention to the relationships between knowledge, action, and responsibility.

For those working on transformations, the piece raises wider questions about what ocean science needs in order to be more inclusive, integrated, and useful in practice. This includes how research programmes can better engage with diverse knowledge holders, support decision-making, and contribute to more just and sustainable relationships with marine and coastal systems.

The article may be of interest to those working on marine sustainability, ocean governance, social-ecological systems, transdisciplinary research, and science-policy-practice connections.