Carbon sequestration potential of rubber plantation in East Kalimantan

Abstract

Forestry and Other Land Use (FOLU) sector has significant contributions to greenhouse gas emissions in Indonesia. Besides reducing deforestation and forest degradation, plantation development also plays an important role in climate change mitigation, particularly for carbon stock enhancement. This study aims to estimate the carbon sequestration potential of rubber plantations in East Kalimantan. Rubber plantation carbon stock was measured by establishing 24 sample plots with the size of 20x20 m in two locations, Kutai Timur and Penajam Paser Utara regencies. Above-ground biomass of rubber was estimated using the allometric equation AGB = 0.144 x D2.40. While the carbon stock was further calculated using the lifetime average approach. The result shows that the carbon stock of rubber plantations in East Kalimantan is 75.71 tons C ha-1. With a total plantation area of 123,460 ha, the potential carbon sequestration of rubber plantations in East Kalimantan is about 9.05 Mt, equivalent to 33.19 Mt CO2e. Given the high carbon sequestration potential, rubber plantation development needs to be considered as an important strategy to achieve FOLU net sink by 2030. This is part of the enhancement of carbon stock through land rehabilitation, which is prioritized to be implemented in degraded lands to avoid deforestation and forest degradation in forested areas.