Indonesian government eyes best practices of Philippines Initiatives for Blue Carbon Project for their Implementation

KALIBO, Aklan- The Indonesian government has officially confirmed their intention to study the best practices of blue carbon projects for their implementation in their country.

This was according to Maulana Firdaus of the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries of Indonesia.

Firdaus personally came here to the cafeteria of the Aklan State University-Kalibo Campus to attend the three-day Aklan River, Batan Bay, and Coast Summit and Training Workshop, January 24-26, 2023. The workshop was funded by the University of the Philippines Institute of Environmental Science and Meteorology entitled “Upgrading and Promoting the Comprehensive Assessment and Conservation of Blue Carbon Ecosystems and their Services in the Coral Triangle” (UPBlueCARES).

JICA/JST is also supporting the program. The Blue Cares Project is a tri-partite program among the Philippines, Indonesia, and Japan.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Blue carbon is simply the term for carbon captured by the world’s oceans and coastal ecosystems. The NOAA said that human activities emit (or give off) something called carbon dioxide, which contains atmospheric carbon. These gases are changing the world’s climate, and not in a good way.

What is unheard of is that our oceans and coasts provide a natural way of reducing the impact of greenhouse gases on our atmosphere through the sequestration (or taking in) of this carbon.

Sea grasses, mangroves, and salt marshes along our coast “capture and hold” carbon, acting as something called a carbon sink. These coastal systems, though much smaller in size than the planet’s forests, sequester this carbon at a much faster rate and can continue to do so for millions of years. Most of the carbon taken up by these ecosystems is stored below ground, where we can’t see it, but it is still there. The carbon found in coastal soil is often thousands of years old!

“Nowadays, Indonesia is also crafting its nationwide Bluecares Footprint. I came here to Aklan to study practices that could be implemented in our country,” he told the participants during the program.

The participants include those of the academe, local government units, business groups, farmers’ and fishermen’s organizations, among others.

Kazuo Nadaoka, from the Tokyo Institute of Technology, presented the BlueCares Project and the Expected Outputs for Aklan in the form of a Blue Carbon Strategy in Aklan.

“They were Upland Deforestation and needs for its rehabilitation with sustainable resource management considering community livelihood; recent flood-prone nature in the downstream areas around Kalibo; sediment dynamics around the Aklan River mouth areas, including Bakhawan Eco Park; coastal erosion around the New Washington town area; and declining trends of sea grasses and others in the coastal area,” he said

In his presentation, Nadaoka emphasized that all of these challenges need green and blue ecosystem conservation planning.

Dr. Yasmien Primavera-Tirol, assistant professor III of Aklan State University, said that they are also currently in the lead in the development of the Blue Carbon Strategy for the province

“Development of the blue carbon strategy involves understanding the key issues in the Aklan River Watershed, coastal zone, and Batan Bay areas,” she presented.

Among these key issues include vulnerability of the (hinterland) Libacao town to erosion or landslides in the forested areas of Libacao; cultivation of areas with steep slopes; worsening of streambank erosion in Banga, Aklan; pollution at the Aklan River; deposition of the Tambak Brdige (New Washington town) closing water exchange; prevalence of invasive species known as black mussels in coastal areas of New Washington; isopod infestation among mangroves; declining fish production; loss of mangrove as a nursery habitat, among others.