The collaboration applies spaceborne hyperspectral imaging and AI to improve monitoring, verification and financing of Indonesia’s mangrove and seagrass ecosystems.

 

Espoo, Finland & Jakarta, Indonesia – 11 December 2025 – Kuva Space, a leader in spaceborne hyperspectral technology, has partnered with WWF-Indonesia to launch a national-scale initiative aimed at improving the monitoring and verification of Indonesia’s blue carbon ecosystems.

 

Blue carbon, stored in coastal ecosystems such as mangroves and seagrasses, remains one of the most underdeveloped climate mitigation pathways and currently accounts for less than one per cent of the voluntary carbon market. Monitoring challenges, including fragmented data, slow verification processes and high costs, have limited its broader adoption.

 

Against this backdrop, the collaboration will test whether hyperspectral satellite technology combined with artificial intelligence can deliver credible and scalable verification of blue carbon. The project will map mangrove and seagrass ecosystems across key restoration sites in East Nusa Tenggara and East Kalimantan, regions where WWF-Indonesia has long-standing conservation programmes.

 

Kuva Space’s hyperspectral imaging technology detects detailed spectral signatures across observed areas, enabling species-level identification, biomass modelling and water-quality assessment at a scale that traditional satellites and field surveys cannot achieve. The resulting data is intended to support policy planning, transparent carbon accounting and the development of future sustainable finance mechanisms.

 

Mangroves form a central component of blue carbon ecosystems and are among the most efficient natural carbon sinks. Indonesia holds roughly one-fifth of the world’s mangroves, making the country critical to any effort to understand and scale blue carbon initiatives. However, according to the State of the World’s Mangroves 2024 report, only around half of these ecosystems remain in high-quality condition, while seagrass habitats face increasing pressure from pollution, sedimentation and coastal development.

 

The data generated through this initiative will provide a scientific, evidence-based foundation for blue carbon accounting and conservation planning, while supporting Indonesia’s national climate commitments, including its Nationally Determined Contributions and Forest and Other Land Use Net Sink strategy. The partners note that the approach could be replicated across other coastal nations and integrated into global carbon frameworks.

 

By combining Kuva Space’s space-based climate data capabilities with WWF-Indonesia’s on-the-ground expertise, the project aims to deliver more cost-effective and verifiable monitoring of coastal ecosystems, improving transparency and helping unlock sustainable financing that can benefit both conservation efforts and local communities.