The carbon project encompasses the regencies of Bulungan, Nunukan and Tana Tidung. Of the total planned area, 15,898 hectares are located within Social Forestry areas, while the remaining 53,012 hectares are Mangrove Ecosystem Areas (KEM) or Other Land Use Areas (APL).

The project development is coordinated by the Coordinating Ministry for Food, with support from the World Bank. In its implementation, community engagement is one of the crucial aspects, particularly through the Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) process, known locally as PADIATAPA (Persetujuan atas Dasar Informasi di Awal Tanpa Paksaan).

The M4CR PIU Manager at the Coordinating Ministry for Food, Muhammad Farid, explained that the development of this carbon project is not only oriented toward the carbon value generated from the mangrove ecosystem, but also needs to ensure community involvement and clarity on the benefits they can receive.

"The development of the mangrove carbon project needs to be built with due consideration for environmental and social aspects. Communities surrounding the area must be involved from the outset through the FPIC process so that they understand the activity plans, rights, and potential benefits to be gained. Therefore, a benefit-sharing framework is an important part of this project's preparation," Muhammad Farid stated.

The development                 of the M4CR mangrove carbon project in North Kalimantan, which  currently is still in the preparation stage, refers to Verra standards as one of the benchmarks used in carbon project development.

Before carbon credits can be issued, the project must go through development stages, including document validation processes, field audits, and verification of mitigation action results in the form of rehabilitation and conservation by independent institutions.

Consequently, to date, no carbon credits from the project have been issued or traded. Verified Carbon Units (VCUs) can only be obtained and entered into the global carbon market by late 2028 or early 2029. This mangrove carbon project is scheduled to be officially launched as part of the M4CR agenda at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31) in Turkey in November 2026. This momentum is expected to showcase the potential of North Kalimantan's mangrove ecosystem in supporting climate change mitigation efforts.

Through the preparation of this project, M4CR encourages the potential of mangrove carbon to be developed while maintaining ecosystem protection, community participation and clear, equitable benefit-sharing.

M4CR mangrove rehabilitation is implemented across 4 priority provinces, namely Riau, North Sumatra, East Kalimantan and North Kalimantan, with a target area of 32,634 hectares by 2027.

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