Estimation of aboveground carbon stock based on mangrove zones in Ijo River Estuary, Ayah Village, Kebumen, Indonesia

Abstract

Abstract. Ningtyas SRA, Mu’ali AYF, Putri DNAR, Silaningtyas NW, Tsabita FA, Aprianto MK, Sari SP, Fauziyyah MD, Nugraheni RS, Juniati SD, Isa MN, Nofitasari H, Sutarno, Sugiyarto, Yap CK, Budiharta S, Setyawan AD. 2023. Estimation of aboveground carbon stock based on mangrove zones in Ijo River Estuary, Ayah Village, Kebumen, Indonesia. Indo Pac J Ocean Life 7: 148-155. The increasing concentration of greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is the driver of global warming which triggers climate change. One strategy to mitigate climate change is reducing carbon emissions and increasing the carbon stock. Mangrove forest is recognized as the largest carbon sink on the Earth, therefore, the conservation and restoration of mangrove forest are increasingly promoted as an effective way to tackle climate change. While many studies assess the carbon stock of mangrove forests, a context-specific assessment is needed to enrich the existing studies in this field. This study aimed to investigate the aboveground carbon stored in vegetation occurring in three mangrove zones (i.e., seaward, middle and landward zones) in Ijo River Estuary, Ayah Village, Kebumen, Central Java, Indonesia. Purposive sampling on each mangrove zone was conducted with vegetation data at tree and pole stages collected using nested plot methods. Aboveground biomass was calculated using an allometric equation while carbon stock was estimated using the method of the National Standardization Agency. In total, there were 11 mangrove species in the observation plots, consisting of seven true mangrove species and four mangrove associates. The seaward zone had five species and an amount of aboveground biomass (29324.07 MgB/ha), while the middle zone consisted of five species and had biomass of 52776.62 MgB/ha, and the landward zone was composed of five species and had biomass of 6428.74 MgB/ha. The carbon stock in the seaward, middle and landward zones were 43.06, 197.42 and 186.00 MgC/ha, respectively. In total, the Ayah Mangrove Forest contained aboveground biomass of 88529.43 MgB/ha, equal to 1143.31 MgC/ha carbon stock. The findings of this study reiterate the importance of conserving mangrove forests as an effective way to reduce carbon emissions which are the major cause of global warming.