Forest Carbon and EUDR in Riau Islands

Updated 2026-11-02 · 3 min read · By the akar.earth specialist team

Forest carbon in Riau Islands: mangroves and seagrass across Batam, Bintan, Lingga and Natuna, limited land commodities, blue carbon fit and low EUDR exposure.

Riau Islands (Kepulauan Riau) is a maritime province of thousands of islands, so its realistic carbon opportunities are blue carbon: mangrove conservation and restoration, with seagrass as a harder second option. Land-based EUDR exposure is low, though Batam’s industrial and port economy means some exporters and traders based here handle EUDR commodities from other provinces.

Geography and land cover

The province stretches from the Batam–Bintan–Karimun cluster near Singapore, through the Lingga archipelago, to the Anambas and Natuna islands in the South China Sea. Land area is small relative to sea area. Inland cover on the larger islands is a mix of secondary lowland forest, scrub, smallholder plantations and expanding urban and industrial land.

Natuna and Anambas have the most intact island forest, including lowland and hill forest on Natuna’s granite massif. Lingga retains forest on its interior hills.

Mangroves and seagrass

Mangroves are the province’s most significant carbon stock. They fringe sheltered bays and estuaries on Bintan, Batam, Karimun and Lingga. Pressure comes from land reclamation, industrial estates, tourism resorts, charcoal production and, historically, sand and bauxite mining that increased sediment loads.

Seagrass meadows grow around Bintan and other islands, alongside coral reefs. Seagrass stores carbon mainly in sediment. It is creditable in principle, but crediting needs careful soil sampling and evidence that restored meadows persist. See seagrass carbon.

There is little peat in the province.

Land-based commodities and drivers of loss

• Coconut and smallholder rubber: present on several islands, but on a small scale.
• Gambier and pepper: historically important on Bintan, now minor.
• Fisheries and aquaculture: more economically important than land crops in many districts, and a driver of mangrove conversion where ponds are built.

The main drivers of mangrove and forest loss are urban and industrial growth on Batam and Bintan, land reclamation, tourism development and mining. These drivers are different from the plantation-led loss seen in mainland Sumatra.

Which carbon project types fit

VM0033 is the main Verra methodology for tidal wetland restoration. Our mangrove restoration guide covers site selection and survival, and the blue carbon hub explains how mangrove soil carbon is counted. Common species for restoration include Rhizophora apiculata, but species should match the tidal zone.

EUDR exposure

Direct EUDR exposure from produce grown in the province is limited. Small volumes of rubber may enter supply chains. Coconut, pepper and fisheries products are outside the EUDR scope.

The more relevant exposure is indirect. Batam and Karimun host processing and logistics firms that may act as EUDR operators or traders for palm oil derivatives, rubber products or wood products sourced from Sumatra and Kalimantan. These firms need the same plot-level geolocation and due diligence as any other operator; see operators and traders.

Coastal tenure and community considerations

Coastal land and mangroves in Indonesia sit under a mix of forest estate, provincial marine spatial plans and private or customary claims. Malay fishing communities and the Orang Laut (sea nomad communities) depend on mangrove and seagrass areas for fishing and shellfish collection.

Permenhut 6/2026 recognises social forestry groups and communities as legitimate carbon market participants, which applies to mangroves inside forest estate. Mangroves outside forest estate fall under different authorities, so tenure mapping comes first. Blue carbon policy is also evolving; see blue carbon policy in Indonesia.

Measuring mangroves on small islands

Mangrove carbon sits mostly in the soil, so projects need soil cores to depth, not just tree measurements. Small, scattered sites raise per-hectare costs. Grouping several sites under one project and using drone imagery for canopy mapping keeps monitoring affordable.

Practical next steps

For a mangrove site, check forest estate status, coastal spatial plan zoning, land cover change since at least ten years before the start date, and community fishing rights. Our feasibility and eligibility service covers this screening, and the forest carbon hub sets blue carbon alongside the terrestrial project types. Compare with mainland Riau, which offers peat options, and the post-mining coasts of Bangka Belitung Islands.