Mangrove rehabilitation to drive green economic growth: minister
Speaking at the main event commemorating World Mangrove Day in Denpasar, Bali, on Sunday, Jumhur said the government is building a national mangrove restoration movement involving various ministries, regional governments, and local communities.
“Mangrove planting can be integrated with business activities through international carbon market mechanisms. Carbon-emitting activities can be offset through the carbon market, generating substantial funding,” he said.
According to the minister, Indonesia has launched a mangrove rehabilitation program simultaneously in 162 locations across 37 provinces, involving tens of thousands of participants.
Jumhur emphasized that mangroves can absorb four to five times more carbon than typical terrestrial vegetation.
Therefore, planting one hectare of mangroves is considered equivalent to planting around four hectares of terrestrial plants in absorbing carbon emissions.
He noted that this capability makes mangroves a crucial solution to offset rising carbon emissions from economic activities while supporting climate goals.
Moving forward, mangrove rehabilitation will not rely solely on state and regional budget allocations, but will also be supported through collaboration with businesses under international carbon market mechanisms.
This scheme, he continued, is expected to attract investment for large-scale mangrove planting while simultaneously providing economic benefits to residents involved in mangrove conservation.
He revealed that several major investors have expressed interest in financing the rehabilitation of hundreds of thousands of hectares of mangroves in Indonesia.
Beyond yielding returns for investors, the initiatives are projected to create green jobs, provide wages for residents during the maintenance process, and offer benefit-sharing schemes from carbon trading revenues.
The government is currently assessing the contribution of market-based environmental restoration efforts to national economic growth over the next one to two years, including the potential to create jobs for millions of workers.
The minister assessed that Indonesia has a strategic advantage driven by its vast marine waters, abundant mangrove ecosystems, and favorable geography, making the green economy a promising new economic driver.
He urged all parties to preserve and restore the mangrove ecosystem to safeguard benefits from Indonesia’s natural wealth for the environment and improve community welfare.
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Translator: Rolandus Nampu, Raka Adji