LocationsUnearthing the wonder of Indonesia’s mangroves through ‘Blue Carbon Sink’ initiative.
October 26, 2022
A three-day workshop informed participants about the importance of Indonesia’s coastal areas including mangrove forests, seagrass and coral reefs, commonly known as ‘Blue Carbon’ zones. Conducted by UNDP, it is part of a Blue Carbon initiative that aims to enhance awareness about climate change mitigation.
Against the backdrop of a magenta-colored sky, a group of Indonesian scientists and government officers recently gathered at a coastal mangrove forest on Bali Island before dusk to unearth one of nature's best hidden secrets to addressing the global climate crisis.
As the sun slowly descended over the cloud-covered horizon, the group of men and women joined forces to bury a meter-long metal rod which comes with a rotation handle. Once the metal stick sank deep enough leaving only the rotating handle above the surface, they circled the handle clockwise, allowing the metal to go even deeper.
The metal stick was partially exposed, allowing it to carry sediment or below ground soil after it was taken out. Following the 'unearthing' process, the sediment would then be transported to laboratories, where scientists would measure the quantity of carbon emissions contained.
The group of scientists and government officials were part of a UNDP’s Blue Carbon training for the Ministry of Marine and Fisheries’ technical officers from seven coastal provinces such as West Sumatra, South Sulawesi, and Bali. UNDP collaborated with scientists from the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) and with the Directorate General of Climate Change Mitigation under the Ministry of Environment and Forestry.
Organized by UNDP Indonesia’s Climate Promise-JSB (Japan Supplementary Budget) project, the Blue Carbon training seeks to improve the skills and knowledge of government stakeholders in terms of the global agreement on climate change mitigation, national policy, and, in particular, climate change mitigation in the maritime sector.
A meter-long metal rod collected sediment, which would later be sent to laboratories for scientists to determine carbon emissions.
During the three-day workshop, participants were given background knowledge on the importance of Indonesia’s coastal areas including mangrove forests, seagrass and coral reefs that are commonly known as ‘Blue Carbon’ zones. For example, Indonesia is actually home to the largest area of mangrove forest, accounting approximately 22.4 percent of the world’s mangroves. The country is also home to the second-largest area of seagrass in the world.
“Mangrove is a hidden secret and Indonesia has an abundance of it. Mangrove forests have the ability to absorb carbon emissions in the atmosphere and oceans, then store them in leaves, stems, branches, roots, and underlying sediments. And yet little information is known nor available regarding the total amount stored by the Indonesian mangrove forest,” said Hertab Tabadepu, UNDP Indonesia Project Manager who leads the initiative.
The measurement of carbon in the sediment is part of UNDP’s holistic strategy on Blue Carbon initiative where it will support in the development of emission profiles in blue carbon and the database system, monitoring, reporting, and data verification. In parallel, UNDP will work also in partnership with the government on mangrove protection and management including organizing a series of training and capacity-building activities.
Scientists welcomed the participation in the workshop saying that it was a good chance to instill practical knowledge into the minds of the technical officers who played a key role in steering the direction to climate action policies.
“What we hope to see in the future is a strategy to stop conserving mangroves forest into quick source of livelihoods such as fishponds. This is not about fulfilling the government's target (on emission). Rather, it is about understanding the long-term consequences of mangrove forest disappearance” said Dr. Frida Sidik, a scientist from BRIN who shared a presentation on the crucial role of mangrove forests.
She added that mangrove forests retain up to four times more carbon than tropical rain forests. As a result, this could turn the tide of the earth’s rising temperature. It is hoped that this eye-opening fact influences participants to devise more sustainable mangrove policies that could strengthen Indonesia’s pursuit of a green economy.
Another scientist from BRIN, Dr. Agustin Rustam also outlined the method for measuring carbon stocks in seagrass habitats. Carbon stock in seagrass habitats is calculated using three pools: aboveground living biomass, belowground living biomass, and soil/sediment.
Putting theory into practice was precisely what the participants did on that late afternoon in Bali, where natural beauties awed the participants who unpacked the sheer benefits of mangrove forest to our humanity.
As part of UNDP’s whole-of-society approach in formulating solutions, the workshop also included a visit to fish product processing unit (UPI) facility in Tanjung Benoa port area and a discussion with representatives from the association of owners of the UPI.
