Rapid change is occurring across marine environments and their connected social-ecological systems, challenging resource managers in increasingly complex ways. Long-term monitoring of social, cultural, economic and institutional (i.e., ‘human dimension’; HD) indicators provides critical information to help understand system linkages and change, but how is such information operationalised in resource management settings? Using the Great Barrier Reef as a case study and drawing on interviews with a cross section of 25 representatives from government and non-government organisations responsible for Reef protection and management, we present a typology of HD monitoring information, linked to relevant end-users and applications for the different information types. While some types are broadly recognised as valuable for informing spatial planning, policy evaluation, and strategic engagement with different communities, tangible examples of their use in management decisions and measures of associated outcomes remain limited. However, one cannot underestimate the importance of up-to-date contextual understanding and awareness of system linkages for decision making in a time of rapid change. Further research to quantify the effect and need for specific HD information in decision making is necessary but remains challenging. Our study offers insights to overcome such challenges through integrative and collaborative practices.