The Student Association of Aquatic Resources Management (Himasper), Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Science (FPIK) IPB University successfully carried out this year’s mega work programme (proker), namely the Indonesian Water Festival 2023.

The highlight of this year’s Indonesian Water Festival is The Blue Carbon Student Conference 2023 with the theme ‘The Promise of Blue Carbon: Beyond Sustainable Development Inventories’. The student conference was held on Saturday, (25/11) at the Auditorium of the School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (SKHB) IPB University.

The Blue Carbon Student Conference is a forum for the younger generation, especially students, to discuss and exchange ideas related to the issue of blue carbon and climate change. This activity aims to support the realisation of the vision of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 14 (Life Below Water), SDGs 15 (Life on Land), SDGs 17 (Partnership for the Goal) and the vision of Golden Indonesia 2045.

“Extreme climate change can cause various impacts on the environment, including the aquatic environment. These impacts can be direct such as land subsidence and increasing sea water levels,” explained Dr Fery Kurniawan, MSP lecturer at IPB University when guiding the event as moderator.

In addition, Dr Fery continued, climate change that occurs is largely due to carbon emissions. The concept of blue carbon helps store carbon in marine ecosystems around the world so that extreme climate change can be minimised.

“Seagrasses, mangroves and salt marshes in waters can absorb carbon and act as blue carbon agents,” he continued.

In the last series of the Indonesian Water Festival, a recapitulation of activities was also presented from the beginning, namely competitions, talk shows, Youth Aquatic Camp to Student Conference and was attended by many parties, both from inside and outside IPB University.

The Blue Carbon Student Conference this year presented several experts such as Dr Virni Budi Arifanti (Principal Expert Researcher at the Research Center for Ecology and Ethnobiology, National Research and Innovation Agency/BRIN), Agus Rusly, SPi, MSi (Secretary of the Directorate General of Climate Change Control, Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK) and Dr M Arsyad Al Amin (Integrated Coastal Management Specialist from the Center for Coastal and Marine Resources Studies/PKSPL IPB University).

The conference was opened by the Dean of FPIK, Prof Fredinan Yulianda and the Chairman of the MSP Department, Prof Hefni Effendi. It was attended by delegates from Nusa Cendana University Kupang, Artha Wacana Christian University Kupang, Borneo University Tarakan, Mulawarman University Samarinda, Gadjah Mada University, Diponegoro University, Jenderal Soedirman University Purwokerto, Padjadjaran University, and Muhammadiyah University of Technology Jakarta.

Also attended by a number of postgraduate students (S2 and S3) of the Coastal and Marine Resource Management Study Programme (SPL), and the Aquatic Resource Management Study Programme (SDP) of the MSP Department of IPB University.

Source: IPB News