"About 56-58 percent of the world's coral reefs are in Indonesia, most of which can be found in Raja Ampat (West Papua) and Sawu Sea (East Nusa Tenggara)," he stated at the Indonesia Development Forum 2023 in Batam City, Riau Islands Province, on Monday.
Monoarfa then emphasized that seas constituted priceless assets of Indonesia, considering that they store abundant amounts of natural gas as well as wealth of fishery resources.
The minister cited as an example the volume of natural gas stored in the Natuna Sea alone that reaches as much as 222 trillion cubic feet (TCF), with the reserves hitting 46 TCF.
The minister then remarked that the Natuna Sea wields the potential of producing 504 thousand tons of fishery products on an annual basis, adding that the sea has been accommodating nearly one-third of the world's shipping activities.
"It should be noted that Natuna is not the only one, as we also have the Malacca Strait, Cenderawasih Bay (Papua), Capalulu Strait (North Maluku), and many more," he stressed.
He then noted that Indonesia's enormous blue economy potential is also reflected in the country's potential value of marine and fishery sectors reaching US$1.3 trillion per year, according to a study in 2020.
Moreover, the volume of marine product exports during the COVID-19 pandemic only declined by 3.2 percent, he added.
The minister pointed out that the blue economy is expected to create around 12 million new job opportunities by 2030, provide 40 times more renewable energy by 2050, and increase marine-based food supply by six folds by 2050.
He noted that the potential benefits gained from investment in the blue economy are expected to hit US$15.5 trillion by 2050.
Monoarfsa expressed belief that by optimizing its large blue economy potential, Indonesia would yield economic benefits while ensuring protection for biodiversity and significantly lowering greenhouse gas emissions.
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Translator: M Baqir, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Arie Novarina
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