Blue carbon: A new paradigm of mangrove conservation and management in Indonesia

Indonesia is the largest archipelagic country in the world and has vast natural resources. In the maritime sector, efforts to realize the sustainability of natural resources in coastal ecosystems have focused on mangroves and seagrass meadows, also known as blue carbon ecosystems, that have an important role in regulating the Earth's climate. The need for ecosystem-based climate change mitigation combined with economic recovery and improved environment conditions has shifted the motivation and escalated mangrove restoration efforts in Indonesia. As the richest mangrove nation with the greatest mangrove carbon stocks in the world, recently Indonesia has taken significant steps in the land use sector to reduce emissions by acknowledging the ‘true’ value of mangrove carbon and setting priorities for mangrove conservation and restoration within Indonesia’s climate actions. This paper reviews opportunities and challenges in mainstreaming mangrove blue carbon into policy in Indonesia. We evaluate the gaps in regulations and policies and propose pathways for the national blue carbon action. As mangroves are embedded in both forestry and marine sectors and the responsibilities for management lies within several government ministries, an integrated framework is suggested to support the national blue carbon strategy. The Indonesia Blue Carbon Strategy Framework (IBCSF) encompasses three main elements that should be considered in order to address challenges and seize opportunities in blue carbon: coordination, policy and funding.