The Mangrove Alliance

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

This project will build on CIs established marine and coastal conservation work in the mangrove-rich areas of Kaimana, Papua and compliment on-going efforts to integrate blue carbon into policy and management decisions, as well as recent work to develop a sustainable livelihoods program, based on mangrove-crab fisheries.

This project will bring together years of work in the region to advance CIs goal of implementing suitable “blue” carbon-based financing. Through this project we will show that coastal blue carbon provides a new opportunity for driving and supporting coastal ecosystem conservation (restoration and protection) within Indonesia, and for sustaining the multiple benefits these ecosystems provide.

Program Goal

Increase protection of critical coastal ecosystems, in particular mangrove forests, within the Kaimana MPA in the Bird’s Head Seascape, in order to generate benefits for local communities including coastal protection and increased livelihoods through a sustainable mangrove crab fishery, as well as for the global community through the sequestration of carbon.

Program Scope

The Kaimana MPA network covers 514,285 ha of coastal and marine habitats, and includes almost all Kaimana’s vast mangrove forests. Analysis of blue carbon potential and the feasibility of carbon crediting will be done for the entire Kaimana MPA including Arguni, Etna, and Buruway Bays. Triton Bay does not have a significant number of mangroves.

Program Objectives

Demonstrate the viability of blue carbon financing for the Kaimana MPA by developing the necessary project documents and tools to access carbon-based funding for sustainable use and conservation activities in the areas mangroves.
Develop concrete lessons learned for future blue carbon initiatives across Indonesia and globally.

Encompassing 13,466 islands and more than 95,181 km of coasts, Indonesia is the world’s largest island country both in area and population.The people of Indonesia are highly dependent on their coasts for food, protection from storms, livelihoods, and cultural practices.

In addition, Indonesia has been described as the center of marine biodiversity. In addition, Indonesia’s wetlands sequester and store globally significant quantities of coastal blue carbon making them a critical component of the country’s contribution to mitigating climate change. Recent estimates suggest that Indonesia’s mangroves and seagrasses store roughly one-fifth of the world’s coastal blue carbon (Alongi et al 2015, Chmura et al 2003). Simultaneously, these coastal ecosystems are highly threatened – in Indonesia 1-2% of the country’s mangroves are degraded or lost every year. The Government of Indonesia is committed to significantly reducing its GHG emissions by 2020 and to shifting its economy onto a green development path with coastal blue carbon being an important component.