Grey clouds draped in the morning sky and the beach lay quiet under the hush of a cloudy day. In distance a small group stood knee-deep in the sea—some crouching, some laughing—focusing on the water beneath them. It may have looked like a casual gathering, but something much deeper was unfolding.

“Did you know that seagrasses produce fruit?” Rohani, a professor and lecturer at Faculty of Marine and Fisheries, Universitas Hasanuddin, asked, holding up a small green pod just plucked from the ocean. She cracked it open. “You can try it,” she said with a warm smile. “It tastes like edamame!”

Rohani is one of the experts participating in the “Regional Training Workshop on Standardized Methodologies for Seagrass and Peatland Blue Carbon Profiling”, held in Sanur, Bali, from 23 to 28 June 2025. Together with scientists, researchers, and technical staff from 10 ASEAN countries and Timor-Leste, she took part in the workshop designed not just to share knowledge but to unite the region in science, conservation, and climate action.

Hosted by UNDP Indonesia, this workshop is part of a larger regional initiative “Amplifying Blue Economy Growth through Enhanced Blue Carbon and Finance Profiling”, implemented by UNDP under the auspices of the ASEAN Coordinating Task Force on Blue Economy with funding from the Mission of Japan to ASEAN. But this isn’t just another training—this is a call for unity in science, conservation, and climate action.

ASEAN countries are custodians of immense natural capital. They are home to over a third of the world’s mangroves and seagrasses, protecting coastlines from erosion, storms, and the impacts of climate change, and storing a vast amount of carbon beneath their roots.

To help safeguard and better understand this natural carbon storage, the workshop brought together participants to develop a shared and standardized approach for assessing the carbon stock and sequestration of seagrass meadows and peatlands—ecosystems that are among the planet’s most powerful carbon sinks yet are disappearing at alarming rates.  

Over five days the participants not only learned about remote sensing, carbon stock assessment, and laboratory protocols—They also immersed themselves in the practical science of conservation. Wearing wetsuits and coral boots, they waded into Sanur’s shallow waters to conduct fieldwork—identifying carbon hotspots, analysing samples, and mapping the hidden treasures of the ocean floor.

“I’ve never seen this kind of seagrass meadow before,” said Shafi, a blue carbon expert from Brunei Darussalam. “In Brunei we have been focusing on mangroves. This workshop is eye-opening.”

Another collaborating organization was Universitas Udayana, which organized lab workshops to build a common understanding of how to measure and report carbon stock using harmonized methodologies. In the classroom, lively discussions unfolded as experts debated best practices, simulated surveys, and shared regional insights.

Importantly, the workshop is only the beginning. These experts will now take on a critical role in leading the development of national blue carbon profiles in their respective countries—a key component of the project. The knowledge and methodologies introduced in Sanur are meant to equip them with the tools to produce robust, standardized data that can guide climate policy, financing, and long-term conservation strategies. The true impact of this initiative will unfold in the months ahead, as these regional experts put training into action across diverse landscapes and coastlines.

And between the sessions, over shared meals, laughter, and coffee, they built something just as important: a community. One that transcends borders and speaks the same scientific language. One that will carry this knowledge home and apply it across the region.

This training was more than science and methodology. It was about the people whose lives are intertwined with the ocean—fishermen who depend on healthy reefs, families living along vulnerable coastlines, and communities whose futures are deeply connected to the sea. It’s about rising together as a region, united by nature, bound by knowledge, and determined to protect what cannot be replaced.

Climate action doesn’t begin in a policy discussion room—it begins here, in nature, with a handful of seagrass leaves on the sand, and with those who believe that safeguarding the future starts beneath the sea. 


Author: 
Andini Patricia (andini.patricia@undp.org)