Jakarta. The upcoming COP28, the UN climate summit, is set to witness the announcement of an international mangrove research center in Bali, according to an Emirati diplomat.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is getting closer to hosting the COP28 later this month. Hundreds of heads of state are set to meet in Expo City Dubai to discuss how the world can tackle climate change. Indonesia and the UAE wish to take this opportunity to launch a research center focusing on mangroves as studies have shown they hold large carbon storage potential. 

UAE Ambassador to Indonesia Abdulla Salim Al Dhaheri told reporters Thursday that this Bali-based center would bring together researchers from both home and abroad. The diplomat, however, did not say in which part of Bali would this research center be.

“It is set to be an incredibly unique research center that will allow researchers from around the world to showcase their expertise in order to restore the mangrove ecosystems,” Al Dhaheri said at a news conference. 

“We are working on this research center to promote mangroves as a nature-based solution to address climate change. … This is one of the action plans that Indonesia [is undertaking] to cut its emissions,” Al Dhaheri said.

The international research center followed the launching of the Mangrove Alliance for Climate (MAC) by the UAE and Indonesia at Egypt’s COP27 last year. India, Sri Lanka, Australia, Japan, and Spain are part of the alliance. As the name suggests, the alliance aims to conserve and restore mangrove ecosystems. Back in 2021, Abu Dhabi and Jakarta inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on joint programs to study and manage mangrove ecosystems. 

The COP28 is scheduled to start on Nov. 30 and will go on until Dec. 12. 

When asked whether President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo would come to the forum, Al Dhaheri said: “We are expecting around 140 world leaders. President Jokowi has already confirmed his attendance at the COP28.”

Government data shows Indonesia is home to the world’s largest mangrove ecosystem, spanning 3.36 million hectares as of 2021. This is equivalent to 23 percent of the global total.

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