Coastal areas are exposed to anthropogenic pressures such as traffic, sewage pollution, tourism and recreation, but they are also the most productive areas for fishing and aquaculture. Data collection over long time series and regular standardised monitoring are of utmost importance to understand pressures and to conserve coastal areas.Marine Biology Station in Piran at National Institute of Biology keeps a large number of data from the marine environment (Buoy VIDA, vector data) that are available to researchers and decision makers for marine environmental research. The development of genomic techniques also opens up new ways of monitoring biodiversity through metabarcoding and the use of passive samplers or by sampling seawater as part of a network of genomic observatories which are also being used in the Slovenian sea.