Jakarta (VNA) – Indonesia’s Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) is preparing 17 locations to be designated as specific national strategic areas (KSNT) for blue carbon reserves.
KKP's Director General of Marine Spatial Planning Kartika Listriana said the designation of the locations reflects the national commitment to managing blue carbon ecosystems, protecting the environment, and improving the welfare of coastal communities.
Several locations, particularly on the northern coasts of Central Java and East Java, will be prioritised for ecosystem restoration, she added.
Blue carbon refers to carbon absorbed and stored by coastal and marine ecosystems, such as mangrove forests, seagrass meadows, and tidal marshes.
These ecosystems have the ability to absorb CO2 from the atmosphere, even more so than terrestrial forests. At least 55% of global carbon is absorbed by marine organisms and stored long-term, both in biomass and sediment.
According to Listriana, the blue carbon plan will be linked to key coastal city agglomerations like the Greater Jakarta area, including Jakarta and four satellite cities: Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, and Bekasi; the key urban and industrial area of East Java – Gerbangkertosusila; and the dynamic urban area in Central Java, Kedungsepur, which comprises six cities. In addition, KKP also encourages the development of carbon-free islands in Bangka Belitung.
Seagrass is considered a potential “carbon asset” that can store up to 82,000 tonnes of CO2 per sq.km, opening up opportunities to participate in the global carbon market through voluntary mechanisms or public-private partnerships. However, she noted that regulations are still needed to establish a standard methodology for measuring carbon in seagrass to facilitate implementation in the field./.
