Blue carbon ecosystems such as mangrove and seagrass play an important role in the global climate regulation as a storage for carbon stocks, and are vital for the livelihoods of coastal communities. As an effort to conserve blue carbon ecosystems, Fisheries Resource Center of Indonesia (FRCI) along with the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Service (MAFS) of Central Java had organized a Kickoff Meeting on the Implementation of Strengthening Coastal Community Resilience Through Blue Carbon Ecosystem Management Program in Central Java. This event was held in the MAFS Central Java office meeting room, Semarang, on Friday, February 3rd 2023.

The meeting was attended by various agencies, including the Infrastructure and Natural Resources Bureau, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Service, Environment and Forestry Service, River Basin Management Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Agency, Mangrove Institut, and academics.

FRCI Project Leader Heidi Retnoningtyas presenting the blue carbon program (Doc: FRCI).

On this occasion, FRCI presented a program scheme for northern and southern Central Java, which consisted of a study of physical assets and ecosystem conditions, flow to the economy, and carbon benefits; ecosystem restoration, protection and conservation; support for the livelihoods of coastal communities; improvement on conservation governance; as well as public education. Furthermore, there was also a presentation on the 2023 Work Plan of the Central Java Mangrove Working Group.

Through this meeting, FRCI hopes that all the parties involved will be able to cooperate in managing coastal ecosystems so that carbon stocks and the livelihoods of coastal communities can improve through the expansion of blue carbon ecosystems.

Acknowledgment: This program is funded by the Australian government and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) through the Blue Carbon Accelerator Fund.