Skip to content
SECURE percontohan di Tabalar
TAMBAK SECURE Tambak yang menggunakan pendekatan Shrimp-Carbon Aquaculture (SECURE) di Kampung Pegat Batumbuk, Kabupaten Berau, Kalimantan Timur. © Vabian Adriano/YKAN

Perspectives

Mangrove Forests, The Best Carbon Stores

March 27, 2024

How do we quantify the emissions from converting mangrove forests to aquaculture? Yayasan Konservaasi Alam Nusantara (YKAN) researched greenhouse gas emissions and carbon reserves in East Kalimantan, specifically in Tabalar Muara Village, Berau Regency. The research team from the Natural Climate Solutions program strategy measured Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions in primary mangrove forests, secondary mangrove forests, and shrimp ponds. The research team also measured carbon stores above and below the soil surface for the three land uses.

Read: Positive impact from 741 hectares of Mangroves in Semanting Bay

"The research results show that Mangrove Forests play an important role as carbon stores, and if land conversion occurs, the emissions released are not only from surface carbon but also from the soil," said YKAN Senior Manager of Forestry Carbon and Climate Change Nisa Novita at the Dissemination of GHG Measurement Results event on Wetlands in East Kalimantan which was held in Samarinda, Tuesday 5 March 2024.

Mangrova dan Tambak yang bersandingan dan dikelola dalam skema SECURE di Kampung Tabalar Muara, Kabupaten Berau.
Photo Caption Mangroves and ponds are adjacent and managed under the SECURE scheme in Tabalar Muara Village, Berau Regency. © YKAN

YKAN collaborated with the National Research and Innovation Agency and the Perisai Foundation to conduct this research. The researchers found that mangroves in Tabalar Muara Village have relatively high carbon stores of 942 ± 20 Mg C /hectare. This value is comparable to the median of mangrove forest carbon storage in Indonesia, 950.5 Mg C/hectare. The mangrove forest in Tabalar Muara has the largest carbon stores from the soil, around 84 percent. The rest is above the surface. The researchers found that by protecting the remaining mangrove forests from land conversion into ponds, GHG emissions can be reduced by up to 67.43 ± 18.49 Mg CO2 per hectare per year.

Manajer Senior Karbon Kehutanan dan Perubahan Iklim YKAN Nisa Novita memaparkan hasil penelitian pada acara Diseminasi Hasil Pengukuran Gas Rumah Kaca (GRK) pada Lahan Basah di Kalimantan Timur.
Photo Caption YKAN Senior Manager of Forestry Carbon and Climate Change Nisa Novita explained the research results at the Dissemination of Green House Gas (GHG) Measurement Results in Wetlands in East Kalimantan. © YKAN

"Protecting the remaining mangrove forests is important to mitigate climate change," said Nisa. Mangroves have been known as coastal green belts because they are a good place for marine life and are threatened by rising sea levels and tsunamis. Maintaining existing mangroves has been proven to reduce emissions.

Read This Next

Kondisi geografis di pesisir OKI dilalui oleh sungai besar maupun kanal sungai yang bercabang. Jarang ada jalan setapak maupun jembatan yang menghubungkan satu dusun dengan dusun lainnya. Oleh karena itu, transportasi yang paling sering digunakan adalah perahu atau pun speedboat, sambil menyusuri hutan mangrove.

YKAN Utilizes the Merdeka Curriculum as an Educational Tool for Mangrove Ecosystems for elementary school students at OKI

One of the strategies carried out by MERA in this program is an awareness-raising activity through the school curriculum.

A MERA Program Summary taking place in Ogan Komering Ilir (OKI) Regency, South Sumatra, Indonesia

A MERA Program Summary

The Padatimu To'asoki Women's Group in Kulati Village, Wakatobi, Southeast Sulawesi.

Simba Fish Crackers Become the Mainstay of a Sustainable

Women's Group "Padatimu To'asoki"