Biomass and carbon stock in restored mangrove forests: Evidence from Indonesia

Authors

  • Abd. Rasyid Jalil Department of Marine Science, Faculty of Marine Science and Fisheries, Hasanuddin University, Makassar, South Sulawesi 90245, Indonesia
  • Abdul Malik Department of Geography, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Negeri Makassar, Makassar, South Sulawesi 90224, Indonesia
  • Syafiuddin Department of Marine Science, Faculty of Marine Science and Fisheries, Hasanuddin University, Makassar, South Sulawesi 90245, Indonesia
  • Muh. Dalvi Mustafa Department of Fisheries, Faculty of Marine Science and Fisheries, Hasanuddin University, Makassar, South Sulawesi 90245, Indonesia
  • Muhammad Dzaky Hurairah Malik Department of Marine Science, Faculty of Marine Science and Fisheries, Hasanuddin University, Makassar, South Sulawesi 90245, Indonesia
  • Muhammad Alif Kamaruddin Department of Marine Science, Faculty of Marine Science and Fisheries, Hasanuddin University, Makassar, South Sulawesi 90245, Indonesia
  • Muhammad Salman Eddy Harmawan Department of Geography, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Negeri Makassar, Makassar, South Sulawesi 90224, Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.33175/mtr.2026.285016

Keywords:

Biomass carbon stock; Blue carbon; Climate change mitigation; Ecotourism; Mangrove restoration

Abstract

Mangrove restoration is widely recognized as a nature-based solution for enhancing blue carbon storage and mitigating climate change. However, quantitative assessments of biomass and carbon recovery in restored mangrove systems remain limited, particularly in Indonesia's ecotourism landscapes. This study evaluated aboveground and belowground biomass and associated carbon stocks in rehabilitated mangrove stands in the Balang Baru Ecotourism Area, Jeneponto Regency, South Sulawesi. Field measurements were conducted in April 2025 across five sampling stations, with 15 nested plots. Tree diameter at breast height (DBH) and height were recorded for all individuals with DBH ≥ 5 cm. Aboveground biomass (AGB) and belowground biomass (BGB) were estimated using allometric equations, and carbon stocks were derived using standard biomass-to-carbon conversion factors. The results indicated substantial biomass accumulation in the restored mangrove stands. Mean AGB and BGB were estimated at 95.20 Mg ha⁻¹ and 41.23 Mg ha⁻¹, respectively. Corresponding carbon stocks averaged 45.70 Mg C ha⁻¹ for aboveground carbon (AGC) and 16.08 Mg C ha⁻¹ for belowground carbon (BGC). Biomass and carbon stocks varied spatially among stations, with the highest values recorded at Station 5 (AGB: 126.19 Mg ha⁻¹) and the lowest at Station 4 (AGB: 67.30 Mg ha⁻¹). However, one-way ANOVA showed no statistically significant differences among stations (p > 0.05), indicating relatively comparable biomass recovery across the rehabilitated area. These findings suggest that restored mangrove stands in Balang Baru have developed substantial biomass and carbon storage capacity despite their relatively young age. The results highlight the potential contribution of community-based mangrove restoration to blue carbon initiatives and coastal ecosystem recovery. Continued long-term monitoring, along with the inclusion of soil organic carbon assessments, is recommended to obtain more comprehensive estimates of total carbon storage in restored mangrove ecosystems.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cite this article:

APA Style:
Jalil, A. R., Malik, A., Syafiuddin, Mustafa, M. D., Malik, M. D. H., Kamaruddin, M. A., & Harmawan, M. S. E. (2026). Biomass and carbon stock in restored mangrove forests: Evidence from Indonesia. Maritime Technology and Research, 8(3), 285016. https://doi.org/10.33175/mtr.2026.285016

 

MDPI Style:
Jalil, A. R.; Malik, A.; Syafiuddin; Mustafa, M. D.; Malik, M. D. H.; Kamaruddin, M. A.; Harmawan, M. S. E. Biomass and carbon stock in restored mangrove forests: Evidence from Indonesia. Marit. Technol. Res. 20268, 285016. https://doi.org/10.33175/mtr.2026.285016

 

Vancouver Style:
Jalil AR, Malik A, Syafiuddin, Mustafa MD, Malik MDH, Kamaruddin MA, Harmawan MSE. (2026). Biomass and carbon stock in restored mangrove forests: Evidence from Indonesia. Marit. Technol. Res. 8(3):285016. https://doi.org/10.33175/mtr.2026.285016

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Highlights

  • Restored mangroves in Balang Baru demonstrate significant biomass recovery.
  • AGB reached 20 ± 10.56 Mg ha⁻¹ and BGB 41.23 ± 3.83 Mg ha⁻¹.
  • Carbon stocks averaged 70 ± 5.07 Mg C ha⁻¹ (AGC) and 16.08 ± 1.49 Mg C ha⁻¹ (BGC).
  • Biomass distribution among stations showed no significant differences.
  • Restored mangroves contribute to blue carbon and climate mitigation.

References

Ahmed, S., Sarker, S. K., Friess, D. A., Kamruzzaman, M., Jacobs, M., Sillanpää, M., Naabeh, C. S. S., & Pretzsch, H. (2023). Mangrove tree growth is size-dependent across a large-scale salinity gradient. Forest Ecology and Management, 537, 120954. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2023.120954

Alongi, D. M. (2023). Current status and emerging perspectives of coastal blue carbon ecosystems. Carbon Footprints, 2(3), 12. https://doi.org/10.20517/cf.2023.04

Alongi, D. M., Murdiyarso, D., Fourqurean, J. W., Kauffman, J. B., Hutahaean, A., Crooks, S., Lovelock, C. E., Howard, J., Herr, D., Fortes, M., Pidgeon, E., & Wagey, T. (2016). Indonesia’s blue carbon: A globally significant and vulnerable sink for seagrass and mangrove carbon. Wetlands Ecology and Management, 24(1), 3-13. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11273-015-9446-y

Arifanti, V. B., Sidik, F., Mulyanto, B., Susilowati, A., Wahyuni, T., Subarno, S., Yulianti, Y., Yuniarti, N., Aminah, A., Suita, E., Karlina, E., Suharti, S., Pratiwi, P., Turjaman, M., Hidayat, A., Rachmat, H. H., Imanuddin, R., Yeny, I., Darwiati, W., Sari, N., Hakim, S. S., Slamet, W. Y., & Novita, N. (2022). Challenges and strategies for sustainable mangrove management in Indonesia: A review. Forests, 13(5), 695. https://doi.org/10.3390/f13050695

BPS Kabupaten Jeneponto. (2025). Kabupaten Jeneponto Dalam Angka 2025. Badan Pusat Statistik Kabupaten Jeneponto. https://jenepontokab.bps.go.id

Carong, S. R., Anawar, A., Ahmed, Y., Arbit, N. I. S., Mannan, A., Rusmidin, Anawar, T., & Rimbawan, F. (2024). Carbon stock and biomass of Baluno Mangrove Forest ecosystems in West Sulawesi, Indonesia. Biodiversitas Journal of Biological Diversity, 25(9), 3067-3074. https://doi.org/10.13057/biodiv/d250928

Dittmann, S., Mosley, L., Stangoulis, J., Nguyen, V. L., Beaumont, K., Dang, T., Guan, H., Gutierrez-Jurado, K., Lam-Gordillo, O., & McGrath, A. (2022). Effects of extreme salinity stress on a temperate mangrove ecosystem. Frontiers in Forests and Global Change, 5, 859283. https://doi.org/10.3389/ffgc.2022.859283

Donato, D. C., Kauffman, J. B., Murdiyarso, D., Kurnianto, S., Stidham, M., & Kanninen, M. (2011). Mangroves among the most carbon-rich forests in the tropics. Nature Geoscience, 4(5), 293-297. https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo1123

Friess, D. A., Adame, M. F., Adams, J. B., & Lovelock, C. E. (2022). Mangrove forests under climate change in a 2°C world. WIREs Climate Change, 13(4), e792. https://doi.org/10.1002/wcc.792

Friess, D. A., Chen, L., Cormier, N., Krauss, K. W., Lovelock, C. E., Raw, J. L., Rogers, K., Saintilan, N., & Sidik, F. (2023). Mangrove forests and climate change (pp. 381-400). Climate Change and Estuaries. CRC Press. https://doi.org/10.1201/9781003126096-22

Gerona-Daga, M. E. B., & Salmo, S. G. (2022). A systematic review of mangrove restoration studies in Southeast Asia: Challenges and opportunities for the United Nation’s Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. Frontiers in Marine Science, 9, 987737. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2022.987737

Hafezi, F., Bijani, M., Gholamrezai, S., Savari, M., & Panzer-Krause, S. (2023). Towards sustainable community-based ecotourism: A qualitative content analysis. Science of The Total Environment, 891, 164411. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.164411

Jalil, A. R., Malik, A., Nurdin, N., Saru, A., & Yunus, I. (2020). Assessment of seawater level, inundation duration and substrate elevation for mangrove rehabilitation program in the spermonde archipelago South Sulawesi Indonesia. International Journal of Conservation Science, 11(4), 1115-1126.

Kathiresan, K. (2021). Mangroves: Types and importance (pp. 1-31). Mangroves: Ecology, Biodiversity and Management. Springer Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-2494-0_1

Kauffman, J. B., Heider, C., Norfolk, J., & Payton, F. (2014). Carbon stocks of intact mangroves and carbon emissions arising from their conversion in the Dominican Republic. Ecological Applications, 24(3), 518-527. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-0640.1

Kauffman, J., & Donato, D. (2012). Protocols for the measurement, monitoring and reporting of structure, biomass and carbon stocks in mangrove forests. Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR): Bogor, Indonesia. https://doi.org/10.17528/cifor/003749

Komiyama, A., Poungparn, S., & Kato, S. (2005). Common allometric equations for estimating the tree weight of mangroves. Journal of Tropical Ecology, 21(4), 471-477. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0266467405002476

Leal, M., & Spalding, M. D. (2022). The state of world’s mangroves 2022. Retrieved from https://www.wetlands.org/publication/the-state-of-the-worlds-mangroves-2022

Malik, A., Fensholt, R., & Mertz, O. (2015). Mangrove exploitation effects on biodiversity and ecosystem services. Biodiversity and Conservation, 24(14), 3543-3557. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-015-1015-4

Malik, A., Ichsan Ali, M., Rasyid Jalil, A., Mannan, A., & Musyawarah, R. (2025). Promoting sustainable mangrove tourism through payments for ecosystem services: Insights from Tongke-Tongke Village, South Sulawesi, Indonesia. Regional Sustainability, 6(2), 100213. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.regsus.2025.100213

Malik, A., Jalil, A. R., Arifuddin, A., & Syahmuddin, A. (2020). Biomass carbon stocks in the mangrove rehabilitated area of sinjai district, South Sulawesi, Indonesia. Geography, Environment, Sustainability, 13(3), 32-38. https://doi.org/10.24057/2071-9388-2019-131

Malik, A., Lynham, J., Ali, M. I., Jalil, A. R., Rahim, A., & Rahmawati, A. (2024). The value of mangroves to domestic tourists and local households in South Sulawesi, Indonesia. Tourism in Marine Environments, 19(2), 95-107. https://doi.org/10.3727/216901924X17221514868461

Malik, A., Rahim, A., Jalil, A. R., Amir, M. F., Arif, D. S., Rizal, M., Husain, J., William, D., & Jihad, N. (2023). Mangrove blue carbon stocks estimation in South Sulawesi Indonesia. Continental Shelf Research, 269, 105139. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.csr.2023.105139

Murdiyarso, D., Purbopuspito, J., Kauffman, J. B., Warren, M. W., Sasmito, S. D., Donato, D. C., Manuri, S., Krisnawati, H., Taberima, S., & Kurnianto, S. (2015). The potential of Indonesian mangrove forests for global climate change mitigation. Nature Climate Change, 5(12), 1089-1092. https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate2734

Sasmito, S. D., Basyuni, M., Kridalaksana, A., Saragi-Sasmito, M. F., Lovelock, C. E., & Murdiyarso, D. (2023). Challenges and opportunities for achieving Sustainable Development Goals through restoration of Indonesia’s mangroves. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 7(1), 62-70. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-022-01926-5

Sasmito, S. D., Taillardat, P., Clendenning, J. N., Cameron, C., Friess, D. A., Murdiyarso, D., & Hutley, L. B. (2019). Effect of land‐use and land‐cover change on mangrove blue carbon: A systematic review. Global Change Biology, 25(12), 4291-4302. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.14774

Vinata, R. T., Kumala, M. T., & Setyowati, P. J. (2024). Blue carbon ecosystems for climate resilience in Indonesia: A study of adaptation strategy. Environmental Policy and Law, 54(1), 43-51. https://doi.org/10.3233/EPL-230049

WWF-Indonesia. (2020). Rehabilitasi Mangrove dan Penguatan Jejaring Komunitas. Retrieved from https://www.wwf.id/id/blog/rehabilitasi-mangrove-dan-penguatan-jejaring-komunitas

Downloads

Published

2026-04-22