CARBON STOCK ASSESSMENT OF SEAGRASS ECOSYSTEM IN KEMA, NORTH SULAWESI REGARDING THE CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION

Seagrass is one of the blue carbon ecosystems capable of utilizing CO 2 in organic carbon and mostly stored in the biomass and sediments. This research was carried out on April 27 - May 3, 2015, in Kema waters, North Minahasa Regency, North Sulawesi Province. This research aimed to assess the carbon stock of seagrass beds in Kema District and its correlation to the climate change mitigation in the region. Purposive sampling methods which combined with carbon analysis in the biomass and sediments was used to represent all study sites and observation stations. The result showed that nine species of seagrass were found in the study sites, where Enhalus acoroides has an enormous value of carbon stock around 1.88 Mg C/ha. The average value of carbon stock in biomass about 1.05 ± 0.55 Mg C/ha, while the highest percentage of carbon stock lies in the below-ground approximately 57% of total carbon biomass. The average value of carbon stock in the seagrass sediment was 423.59± 273.78 Mg C/ha to one-meter depth. The seagrass ecosystem's role in Kema coastal region in both the biomass and sediments was 424.64 Mg C/ha, equivalent to CO 2 utilization of 1557.01 Mg CO 2 e /ha, which significant for climate change mitigation action.