- Marine experts at the Indonesian Seagrass Symposium in Bali warned that seagrass ecosystems — vital for carbon storage, biodiversity and coastal protection — remain largely overlooked in national policy and conservation efforts.
- Seagrass coverage in Indonesia has fallen from around 30,000 km2 in 1994 to about 8,000 km2 today, with losses driven by pollution, mining, coastal development and sedimentation that reduces water clarity and habitat quality.
- Indonesia holds some of the world’s most extensive remaining seagrass meadows, estimated to store more than 30 million metric tons of CO2, making their protection crucial for both national and global climate goals.
- Scientists and conservation leaders urged stronger data collection, funding and institutional capacity to support restoration, monitoring and community participation, positioning Indonesia as a potential leader in seagrass conservation.
SANUR, Indonesia — Indonesia’s seagrass ecosystems are crucial for climate action, biodiversity and coastal livelihoods, yet remain a largely neglected asset, marine scientists and conservation experts said at a recent meeting.
Participants at the Indonesian Seagrass Symposium, which ran from Oct. 29-30 on the island of Bali, called for stronger collaboration and data-driven policies to secure the future of these ecosystems in Indonesia’s environmental agenda. They said scientific data gaps, weak institutional capacity and low public awareness were key barriers to stronger protection and policy integration.
“I see seagrass as a kind of forgotten ecosystem,” Victor Nikijuluw, senior ocean program adviser at the foundation Konservasi Indonesia (KI), the national affiliate of Conservation International and host of the symposium, told reporters. “We barely pay attention to it, even though its ecological, biological and ecosystem service roles are strategically important.”
In Indonesia, Victor added, “this is the ecosystem most often sacrificed, that’s why I call it the forgotten ecosystem, one that most people don’t even know about.”
Seagrasses, distinct from seaweeds, are flowering plants that thrive beneath shallow coastal waters and form vital nurseries for juvenile fish and shelter for marine life such as crabs, prawns and sea cucumbers. Together with mangroves and coral reefs, these meadows help trap carbon, filter land-based runoff, and buffer shorelines from erosion.
Across the world, more than 70 seagrass species blanket roughly 600,000 square kilometers (232,000 square miles) of ocean floor, an expanse larger than Madagascar. However, seagrass habitats are vanishing at a rate of around 7% per year — comparable to the loss of coral reefs and rainforests — as a result of climate change, coastal development, pollution, and invasive species, according to the IUCN, the global nature conservation authority.
Victor said the symposium brought together researchers, policymakers and community representatives to share the latest findings and strengthen collaboration on seagrass conservation. It served as a platform to align scientific knowledge with management practices, encouraging discussions on restoration, monitoring and sustainable use. The event also sought to raise awareness about the ecological and economic importance of seagrass, positioning Indonesia as an active player in regional and global conservation efforts.
Indonesia has long stood out as a key stronghold for these ecosystems, with early estimates in 1994 suggesting it hosts around 30,000 km2 (11,600 mi2) of seagrass meadows, possibly the most extensive in the world. Today, that’s down to around 8,000 km2 (3,100 mi2), according to data from the Indonesian fisheries ministry.
Marine researcher Udhi Eko Hernawan, from Indonesia’s National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), said his team’s monitoring of seagrass meadows pointed to the overall coverage dropping by about 10% over the course of the last two decades. They found that eastern Indonesia’s waters remain relatively healthy, while western regions are suffering from habitat loss, pollution and coastal development, with some areas, like the Bangka-Belitung Islands off Sumatra, losing up to 40% of their seagrass area.
Meanwhile, threats of coastal degradation have been reported recently in eastern parts of Indonesia, where nickel mining has polluted marine ecosystems around the Maluku and Papua regions. Udhi warned that increasing sedimentation, murky waters and competition from algae are undermining these vital ecosystems, which play a key role in supporting marine life and stabilizing coastlines.
“The issue arises when human activities begin to affect those conditions: coastal development, dredging, sand mining or waste disposal. These activities can reduce water clarity or increase nutrient concentrations, which ultimately lower environmental quality and make it difficult for seagrass to survive,” Udhi told Mongabay on the sidelines of the symposium.
“That’s our concern. Any human activity, whether it’s mining, domestic waste or coastal development, can potentially degrade seagrass habitat quality,” he added.
Nearly a third of Indonesia’s seagrass areas lie in zones designated as “national strategic areas”, or KSNT, giving them priority status for sovereignty, environmental protection and global heritage, according to the fisheries ministry. It said these zones are estimated to hold more than 30 million metric tons of carbon dioxide.
Siti Maryam Yaakub, senior director at the Singapore-based International Blue Carbon Institute (IBCI), which co-organized the symposium, said Indonesia has both the responsibility and the potential to become a regional leader in seagrass conservation, given its vast seagrass coverage and ecological significance.
She said achieving this leadership requires stronger national coordination and clearer policy frameworks that connect science, management and community engagement. She highlighted the importance of building consistent monitoring systems, improving data accessibility and investing in local capacity so that provincial governments and coastal communities can actively take part in restoration and protection efforts.
“Where we need the funding is in the planning stage, to fund scientific research, to fund policy work,” Siti told reporters. “More importantly, we need to be able to prioritize where we need to save and halt further seagrass loss. Because for Indonesia, I think that’s the most cost-effective way.”
The event’s participants issued a call for better collaboration among scientists, local communities and government agencies to safeguard seagrass as a vital yet forgotten part of Indonesia’s marine carbon future.
“If Indonesia aims to become a leader in seagrass management and conservation at the regional or global level,” Udhi said, “it’s important to strengthen institutions, build scientific capacity, and expand funding opportunities at the provincial level.”
Basten Gokkon is a senior staff writer for Indonesia at Mongabay. Find him on 𝕏 @bgokkon.
See related:
Indonesia eyes seagrass zoning for blue carbon; experts urge community benefits
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