Bali promotes 2,330 hectares of mangroves for blue‑carbon investment
Bali Governor I Wayan Koster has used the Indonesia Carbon and Biodiversity Summit 2026 to promote around 2,330 hectares of mangroves and 1,307 hectares of seagrass as the basis for blue‑carbon projects, while opening wider collaboration…
By Pandi Muktar
Editor: Mursyid Sonsang
· Event date: · 4 min read
Nusa Dua, Bali — Bali is moving to turn its coastal ecosystems into tradeable climate assets, with Governor I Wayan Koster promoting around 2,330 hectares of mangroves and 1,307 hectares of seagrass meadows as the basis for potential blue‑carbon credit projects during the Indonesia Carbon and Biodiversity Summit (ICBS) 2026 at The Westin Resort Nusa Dua on 8–9 September 2026, according to local media and provincial communications.
The governor presented the coastal ecosystems as part of a wider portfolio of “climate assets” that could underpin a green‑economy transition, while stressing that environmental protection should not be treated as a barrier to growth, but as a foundation for sustainable development and community welfare, according to several reports on the summit.
The announcements so far describe political intent and indicative resource estimates rather than a registered carbon project.
Blue carbon and Bali’s coastal ecosystems
Coverage of the ICBS 2026 presentations reports that Bali’s mangrove area is about 2,330 hectares, with roughly 88 percent described as dense forest, and that the province also records around 1,307 hectares of seagrass meadows as a further blue‑carbon resource.
According to these accounts, the provincial administration sees these mangrove and seagrass ecosystems as having strong potential to be developed into blue‑carbon credits, provided projects are designed to deliver benefits back to local communities and remain consistent with environmental regulations.
Officials and summit organisers frame the initiative as part of Bali’s broader climate‑action strategy, which seeks to align economic development, emissions reduction and biodiversity conservation while drawing on local wisdom and existing ecological assets.
Three proposed collaboration tracks
Reports from the event state that the provincial government is formally opening three “bankable” collaboration opportunities linked to climate and carbon markets.
- Blue carbon: development of mangrove and seagrass ecosystems into potential blue‑carbon credit projects.
- Solar energy: large‑scale solar power plants (PLTS), with an initial target around 300 MWp and scope to expand to roughly 700–1,200 MWp.
- Agricultural carbon: expansion of organic farming and soil‑carbon initiatives across Bali’s agricultural landscapes.
According to summit reporting, these collaboration tracks are geared toward investors, project developers, international standards bodies, academics, civil‑society organisations and local communities.
In the same presentation, Koster highlighted other existing climate‑related assets, including around 45 MWp of installed solar capacity, thousands of electric two‑ and four‑wheeled vehicles, and hundreds of public charging stations across Bali, positioning them as complementary to the blue‑carbon and agricultural‑carbon plans.
Credibility and implementation questions
While the summit materials and media reports offer headline figures on ecosystem area and installed capacity, they do not set out technical project documentation such as baselines, detailed carbon‑stock measurements, methodologies, or monitoring plans for any future blue‑carbon projects.
The stories also do not identify a specific crediting standard, registry, project developer or validation and verification body for prospective mangrove or seagrass credits, nor do they explain how legal, customary or community rights over coastal areas would be recognised in any future scheme.
Because of these omissions, the coastal‑ecosystem figures reported to date are best understood as provincial estimates and an initial policy signal that Bali wants to attract collaboration and investment in blue‑carbon, renewable energy and agricultural‑carbon initiatives, rather than evidence that tradable credits have already been issued.
Support from carbon‑market advocates
The initiative has drawn public support from climate‑finance advocates. Indonesia Carbon Credit and Biodiversity Alliance chairman Rob Raffael Kardinal is quoted in local coverage as welcoming Bali’s strategy and describing the province’s combination of natural assets, culture, policy framework and community engagement as a strong basis for building a credible ecosystem for carbon and biodiversity credits.
Kardinal’s endorsement underscores growing interest from domestic and international actors in using Bali as a hub for carbon and biodiversity markets in the Asia‑Pacific region, as emphasised in reporting on ICBS 2026.
However, his comments are expressions of support for the policy direction and do not constitute independent technical verification of the ecosystem data or of any future crediting schemes.
Sources
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