Reforestation or forest restoration is a common method used to fulfill industrial carbon credit responsibilities and achieve zero net emission commitments. This method has been employed for a long time, leading to better-developed knowledge of forest management, which has consequently reduced its economic cost.
However, there are several limitations in its implementation that cannot always be ignored. Competition for land use with settlements or agriculture is often an issue that hampers the execution of carbon projects in forests.
As a maritime and archipelagic country with 17,000 islands, Indonesia has enormous potential in managing carbon trading in coastal areas, also known as blue carbon.
What makes blue carbon so interesting? Let’s explore together.
Blue Carbon Sequestration and Storage Mechanism
Blue carbon refers to carbon dioxide (CO2) absorbed from the atmosphere and stored in marine and coastal ecosystems, such as mangroves, salt marshes, and seagrass beds.
These ecosystems play a critical role in carbon sequestration. Interestingly, coastal blue carbon ecosystems store most of their carbon in soil, sediment, and biomass, while a smaller portion is stored in deep-sea and marine ecosystems.
Coastal ecosystems, such as mangroves and seagrass beds, can store up to five times more carbon per area than tropical forests and absorb CO2 from the atmosphere at a faster rate.
So, How Does Most of The Stored Carbon End Up in The Soil?
During photosynthesis, trees and plants absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, a process commonly referred to as carbon sequestration. A small portion of the carbon is released back into the atmosphere through respiration.
When the leaves, branches, and roots of coastal plants die, the carbon they contain is buried in the soil, which is often inundated by tidal waters. The same process occurs with the carbon content carried by river flows through sedimentation.
The main reason coastal ecosystems are excellent at storing carbon is that the low-oxygen environment slows the decomposition of organic matter, resulting in large amounts of carbon being stored for long periods. Oxygen diffuses very slowly through water, so the wet soil in these ecosystems contains little to no oxygen.
Blue Carbon Potential
Although coastal ecosystems cover a smaller area than forest ecosystems, they can absorb carbon 10 times faster than tropical forests. These ecosystems can store three to five times more carbon per area than tropical forests.
On a global scale, blue carbon ecosystems can store up to 121 billion tons of CO2 equivalent, and 17% of their area is in Indonesia, with a total of 3.3 million hectares of mangrove ecosystems and 293,000 hectares of seagrass beds.
Unfortunately, in the three decades up to 2015, Indonesia lost 40% of its mangrove forest area.
Globally, there has been a 35% reduction in mangrove forest areas, a 50% decline in salt marshes, and a 29% decrease in seagrass beds since the mid-20th century, mainly due to the vulnerability of these ecosystems to climate change and coastal area development.
However, Indonesia still holds enormous potential. If restored and developed properly, with mitigation and adaptation efforts against climate change, blue carbon in Indonesia could reduce national emissions by 29% and global emissions by up to 41% by 2030.
This certainly requires contributions from various parties, including the national government, local communities, and project implementers and developers, to ensure the effective growth and development of blue carbon initiatives in Indonesia.
IML Carbon can help you carry out blue carbon projects in Indonesia!