Jakarta (ANTARA) – Indonesia’s Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries aims to launch its first blue carbon pilot projects on the international carbon market by 2027, leveraging the nation’s vast mangrove and seagrass ecosystems.Director of Coastal and Small Islands at the ministry Ahmad Aris confirmed in Jakarta on Monday that the government expects at least two pilot projects to be market-ready within the next three years.He noted that the timeline accounts for the rigorous requirements of the carbon trade, including project preparation, validation, and verification. “The Minister’s target is 2027. We hope that by then there will already be pilot projects, both in seagrass and mangroves,” Aris stated, adding that the process is necessarily long to ensure transparency and accuracy.Blue carbon refers to carbon dioxide captured and stored by coastal ecosystems like mangroves and seagrass beds, which are vital for climate mitigation. Indonesia holds approximately 17 percent of the world’s blue carbon reserves, a core component of a blue economy valued at roughly USD 1.3 trillion, the ministry stated.To capitalize on this, the ministry is prioritizing seagrass ecosystems, as they were not included in Indonesia’s second Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) for emission reductions. “National seagrass bed data is already available, covering 660,000 hectares. We are now calculating the potential emission reductions,” Aris explained.Beyond financial gain, Aris emphasized that blue carbon trading is fundamentally about the “ecological functions of coastal ecosystems.”To meet the 2027 goal, the ministry is collaborating with other institutions to finalize derivative regulations of Presidential Regulation No. 110 of 2025 by June 2026. These rules will govern carbon economic value instruments and national greenhouse gas controls. The ministry has identified 18 indicative sites for the Blue Carbon Reserve Zoning Plan, targeting both Specific National Strategic Areas and provincial sites.These locations include the waters of Kotabaru (South Kalimantan), the Derawan Islands (East Kalimantan), the Tanimbar Islands (Maluku), Toli-Toli (Central Sulawesi), Supiori Island (Papua), the Lingga waters (Riau Islands), and the northern coast of Java (Central and East Java).