These publications are the result of inter-agency and national government collaboration. They represents part of UNEP's contribution to evaluating the feasibility of establishing a Global Marine Assessment, a process that would regularly report on the state of the marine environment. The reports present a snapshot of assessments and related scientific activities that were in progress at the end of 2002 and 2006. They consider and recommend various ways in which a future Global Marine Assessment process could integrate these activities, and identifies the thematic and geographical gaps that need to be addressed.