Potential of Carbon Stocks and Its Economic Values in Tropical Karst Landscape (Case Study in Biduk-Biduk Karst, East Kalimantan, Indonesia)

Abstract

Karst especially tropical karst landscape has a potential value to store an amount of both organic and inorganic carbon. Tropical karst landscape can store organic carbon derived from forest ecosystem biomass that covers this karst landscape. While inorganic carbon stocks in tropical karst landscape are stored on carbonate rock (CaCO3). This potential can be calculated to identify the economic carbon value to support carbon trade program in East Kalimantan, Indonesia. This research aims to (1) identify carbon stocks value from organic and inorganic carbon in the study area; (2) calculate economic carbon value in the study area. Organic carbon stocks were measured using field measurement to calculate aboveground, belowground, and litter biomass. Calculation of aboveground, belowground, and litter biomass was measured based on the standard method in SNI 7724: 2011. X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) method was used to identify the CaO concentration in carbonate rock. This CaO concentration was measured to calculate carbon (C) concentration in carbonate rock formation namely inorganic carbon stocks. Economic carbon value was calculated using cost-benefit transfer method. Biduk-Biduk Karst Region has a big value of organic carbon stocks of 0.007 Pg-C and inorganic carbon stocks of 9.02 Pg-C. Therefore, the total carbon stock in Biduk-Biduk Karst Region is 9.037 Pg-C. Based on the total value of carbon stocks, Biduk-Biduk Karst has a total economic value of US$ 45,171,544,296.