PRELIMINARY STUDY ON CARBON STOCK OF CACAO AGROFORESTRY IN SEMI ARID REGION OF EASTERN INDONESIA - Aah Ahmad Almulqu; Dimaz Danang Al-Reza; Dwi Wahyuni; Khozanah Syifa; Eva Oktaviani (ACADEMIA: Jurnal Inovasi Riset Akademik, 2026)
ABSTRACT Studies on vegetation biodiversity and carbon stock estimation are becoming increasingly significant in response to global climate change concerns and the growing demand for sustainable agricultural management in tropical drylands. Nevertheless, research focusing on cocoa-based agroforestry systems in eastern Indonesia, particularly related to vegetation structure and carbon sequestration potential, is still relatively scarce. This study was conducted to examine vegetation distribution and estimate carbon stocks within cocoa-based agroforestry systems in eastern Indonesia. A literature review method was applied by analyzing previous studies concerning the characteristics of cocoa agroforestry, especially vegetation composition, stand structure, and total carbon storage. The analysis used a descriptive quantitative approach based on secondary data of vegetation biomass and soil organic carbon. The findings revealed that the cocoa-based agroforestry systems evaluated in this study stored approximately 56.9 tons ha⁻¹ of carbon. Vegetation distribution in the agrisilvicultural system dominated most of the study sites, as reflected by the highest Important Value Index (IVI) recorded for Swietenia mahagoni. This dominance was primarily observed at the pole stage and was closely associated with ecological conditions and vegetation management practices in semi-arid environments. These results suggest that proper management of shade-tree composition plays a crucial role in improving ecological functions and increasing carbon storage capacity in cocoa-based agroforestry systems. ABSTRAK Penelitian mengenai biodiversitas vegetasi dan estimasi cadangan karbon menjadi semakin penting seiring meningkatnya perhatian global terhadap perubahan iklim dan kebutuhan akan pengelolaan pertanian berkelanjutan di kawasan tropis kering. Meskipun demikian, kajian tentang sistem agroforestri berbasis kakao di Indonesia bagian timur, khususnya yang berkaitan dengan struktur vegetasi dan potensi penyimpanan karbon, masih tergolong terbatas. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengidentifikasi pola sebaran vegetasi serta mengestimasi cadangan karbon pada sistem agroforestri berbasis kakao di wilayah Indonesia timur. Metode yang digunakan adalah studi literatur dengan menelaah berbagai hasil penelitian mengenai karakteristik agroforestri kakao, terutama terkait komposisi vegetasi, struktur tegakan, dan total simpanan karbon. Analisis data dilakukan secara deskriptif kuantitatif menggunakan data sekunder berupa biomassa vegetasi dan karbon organik tanah. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa sistem agroforestri berbasis kakao dalam kajian ini memiliki total simpanan karbon sebesar 56,9 ton/ha. Sebaran vegetasi pada sistem agrisilvikultur mendominasi sebagian besar lokasi penelitian, yang tercermin dari tingginya nilai Indeks Nilai Penting (IVI) pada jenis Swietenia mahagoni. Dominasi tersebut terutama ditemukan pada tingkat tiang dan dipengaruhi oleh kondisi ekologis serta pola pengelolaan vegetasi di wilayah semi-kering. Temuan ini mengindikasikan bahwa pengaturan komposisi tanaman penaung memiliki peranan penting dalam meningkatkan fungsi ekologis sekaligus kapasitas penyimpanan karbon pada sistem agroforestri berbasis kakao.