Researchers Highlight Carbon Storage Capacity of Seagrass Ecosystems

Jakarta — A researcher from the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Yusmiana Rahayu, has stated that Indonesia’s seagrass meadows have the potential to store between 0.26 and 0.55 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (Gt CO2e), demonstrating their significant role in addressing climate change.

During an online discussion held in Jakarta on Monday, she presented these figures based on estimations that Indonesia’s seagrass meadows cover between 875,967 and 1,847,341 hectares, according to 2018 data.

“I combined the total figures after correlating with the area measurements, arriving at 0.26 to 0.55 gigatonnes of CO2 equivalent,” she said.

These calculations represent a combined estimate of carbon storage capacity from both biomass and sediment in seagrass ecosystems.

“This provides a comparison of how substantial the carbon storage potential of our seagrass ecosystems is relative to the emissions occurring in Indonesia,” she said, referencing research conducted in 2024.

The figures may change given that the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) only recently released the 2025 National Coral and Seagrass Meadow Map at the end of last year. The government has established that the national hard coral area encompasses 838,000 hectares, with seagrass ecosystems covering 660,000 hectares.

She highlighted that the role of blue carbon has become increasingly important in efforts to achieve Indonesia’s national greenhouse gas emission reduction targets, as outlined in the National Determined Contribution (NDC) climate document. The marine and fisheries sector is now being factored into the implementation of carbon economic values.

“This means we need more ready data, as there remain many data points, particularly regarding seagrass ecosystems, that we require to calculate inventories with greater detail,” Yusmiana Rahayu stated.