Bank Mandiri bolsters Indonesia's blue carbon ecosystem support on World Mangrove Day

Indonesia boasts the world's largest mangrove ecosystem, covering approximately 3.45 million hectares, or about 20 percent of the global total. However, the nation has lost around 1.3 million hectares of mangroves between 1980 and 2025 due to land-use change, erosion, and degradation. This makes mangrove restoration a strategic national priority, with the government committed to rehabilitating hundreds of thousands of hectares through a coordinated, phased, measurable, community-based, and sustainable approach.

On World Mangrove Day, celebrated annually on July 26, corporations are encouraged to participate in this agenda. Mangroves offer more than just coastal protection; they are crucial for carbon sequestration. Per unit area, mangrove ecosystems can store more carbon in their biomass and soil than tropical terrestrial forests. Therefore, protecting and rehabilitating mangroves is vital for achieving Indonesia's Forestry and Other Land Use (FOLU) Net Sink 2030 target. The challenge lies not just in planting seedlings but ensuring their survival and accurately measuring their carbon absorption.

Bank Mandiri is actively contributing to this effort through the Livin' Planet feature within its Livin' by Mandiri application. This initiative converts the carbon footprint generated by retail customers into tree-planting actions, with carbon absorption calculated according to Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) standards. Each planted seedling is monitored in collaboration with conservation partners, and its progress is reported back to the customers. This mechanism ensures that contributions are tracked and their carbon sequestration impact is accounted for in subsequent years.

Monica Yoanita Octavia, Senior Vice President of Bank Mandiri's ESG Group, emphasized that the government's call for measurable and scientific mangrove restoration aligns with the bank's commitment. "For us, accountability is part of how Bank Mandiri fulfills its sustainability commitment," she stated. As of July 22, 2026, customer contributions through Livin' Planet have resulted in the planting of approximately 2,697 trees, absorbing an estimated 64.29 tons of CO2e. Mangroves represent the largest portion of these contributions, with nearly 2,309 mangrove seedlings, including red mangrove varieties, planted, accounting for about 63 percent of the total carbon absorption from the customer planting program.

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Accountability is part of how Bank Mandiri fulfills its sustainability commitment.