News: More than just carbon: Summit participants urge policy makers to mainstream blue carbon into global agenda

Jakarta (18 July 2018) – With 3 million hectares of mangroves and 300,000 hectares of sea meadows, Indonesia is home to one of the world’s most important coastal ecosystems. Regulation and conservation of these ecosystems not only affects the nation, but can also have global climate adaptation and mitigation implications.

At the 2018 Blue Carbon Summit, Indonesian policy makers, top national and international scientists, civil society, and donors came together to highlight the importance of coastal areas and to urge their inclusion into global sustainable development goals. Highlighted topics included the mainstreaming of blue carbon into Indonesia’s national conservation plans; an economic development agenda, which includes more than carbon, extending to fisheries, transportation, eco-tourism and beyond; and coordination between and within different Indonesian government agencies.

The need to take action
During the opening plenary, Indonesian Academy of Sciences President Satryo Soemantri Brodjonegoro and Center for International Forestry Research Director General Robert Nasi both highlighted the need to pay attention to mangroves and other coastal areas and to make them a national environmental priority.

“We are here to correct an imbalance, in the news there is a focus on deforestation, but 60% OF THE world’S population lives in coastal areas,” said Nasi. “We have already lost 50% of the mangrove ecosystems, we need to protect what is left.”

“The extensive discussion [during the Blue Carbon Summit] is expected to identify gaps hindering the mainstreaming of blue carbon in the national development agenda and global commitment and pave the way to future direction of blue carbon development in Indonesia,” said Brodjonegoro.

H.E. Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, Indonesian Coordinating Minister of Maritime Affairs, also urged action his opening of Day 2 of the Blue Carbon Summit.

“We cannot treat this problem by just having meetings, we need to do something,” he said. “We can’t just talk about this, we need to think about how to implement for national interest.”

The Blue Carbon Summit was held from 17-18 July at the National Library of Indonesia in Jakarta. The summit was an initiative organized by AIPI in collaboration with CIFOR, and supported by the Global Landscape Forum (GLF).

For more information visit: http://events.globallandscapesforum.org/blue-carbon-summit/

VIDEOS AND PHOTOS AVAILABLE:
Recordings of selected Blue Carbon Summit sessions, including opening plenaries and closing ceremony, subplenaries and some parallel sessions, are available on online.Photos from the event are available upon request, please contact a member of the media team.FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT THE MEDIA TEAM:

Ms. Budhy Kristanty, Communications Officer, CIFOR. b.kristanty@cgiar.org, +62 8111904283 (Indonesian media)
Ms. Christi Hang, Communications Officer, CIFOR. c.hang@cgiar.org, +62 81287718975
Ms. Anggrita, Communications Officer, AIPI. anggrita.dc@gmail.com, +62 818 0812 6605 (Indonesian media)

About CIFOR
The Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) advances human well-being, equity and environmental integrity by conducting innovative research, developing partners’ capacity, and actively engaging in dialogue with all stakeholders to inform policies and practices that affect forests and people. CIFOR is a CGIAR Research Center, and leads the CGIAR Research Program on Forests, Trees and Agroforestry (FTA). Our headquarters are in Bogor, Indonesia, with offices in Nairobi, Kenya, Yaounde, Cameroon, and Lima, Peru.About GLF
Led by the Center of International Forestry Research (CIFOR) alongside founding partners UN Environment and the World Bank, with core funding provided by the German Government, the Global Landscapes Forum (GLF) accelerates action towards the creation of more resilient, equitable, profitable, productive and healthy landscapes and the achievement of the UNFCCC Paris Agreement and Sustainable Development Goals (Agenda 2030).About AIPI
The Indonesian Academy of Sciences (AIPI) was established in 1990 under the Republic of Indonesia Law No. 8/1990 on the Indonesian Academy of Sciences. The Academy was created as an independent body to provide opinions, suggestions, and advice to the Government and public on the acquisition, development and application of science and technology. It is organized into five commissions dealing with Basic Sciences, Medical Sciences, Engineering Sciences, Social Sciences, and Culture. It seeks to promote science through scientific conferences and policy discussion forums, publications, furthering national and international relations, and other activities.