MANGROVE TRESS AS CARBON POOL IN COASTAL ECOSYSTEM1

Endang Hilmi2

Abstract
Mangrove forest has characteristic as one type of tropical forest which has special
trees in coastal line or estuarine. The growth of mangrove forest has been influenced by
seawater tidal and sea water inundation. The Indonesian country as island country has
mangrove area more 3.7 million ha or 3.6 % from the total forest area in Indonesia. But,
at now the deforestation forest in Indonesia is higher which has caused degradation of
forest and can be estimated as emission carbon source which has contributed global
warming. So degradation of mangrove forest in Indonesia also can be caused to give
carbon emission so be estimated as one factor contributed to air pollution.
The potency of carbon in forest has been influenced by capability of trees to absorb
carbon from environment by photosynthesis process, and say as sequestration process.
The result of photosynthesis – respiration can be accumulated in biomass of trees. And
amount of biomass potency can influenced totally of potency carbon of trees
The potency carbon of mangrove trees are : Osbornia ocidentale (57,44 %),
Rhizophora apiculata (57,00%), Bruguiera praviflora (56.81%), Excoecaria agallocha
(56,81 %), Sonneratia alba (56,53 %), Kandelia kandal (56,16 %), Nypa frutican
(48,34 %), Bruguiera gymnorrhiza (56,75 %), Metroxylon sagu (51,47 %), Luminitzera
racemosa (54,89 %), Xylocarpus granatum (56,83 %), Lumnitzera litoralis (57,58 %).
The estimated model for carbon potency from Rhizophora apiculata =
c * 0.7574460068 D 2.232516567, carbon potency of Rhizophora mucronata = c
*0.4999022826 D 2.31809304 dan carbon potency of Bruguiera spp = c *10.11259103 D
1.30096243
(c = percentage of carbon)

keyword : carbon, biomass, potency, mangrove, Rhizophora, Bruguiera.

1
World ocean confference in Mandao May 2009
2
Lecturer in Jenderal University Indonesia