One of Earth’s most biodiverse marine regions is threatened by the expansion of nickel mining projects in Indonesia, a new report showed.
Satellite analysis and on-the-ground visits found a rapid increase in land given over to mining pits in Raja Ampat Regency, a group of tropical islands near West Papua, according to the report from Auriga Nusantara, an environmental and conservation organization in Indonesia.
A few degrees south of the equator, the islands are home to 75 percent of the world’s coral species and more than 1,600 fish species, including critically endangered hawksbill sea turtles and vulnerable reef manta rays.
Photo: Auriga Nusantara / AFP
The regency has at least nine marine protected areas spread over nearly 2 million hectares, and was named a UNESCO Global Geopark in 2023, recognizing the international value of its geological heritage.
Much of the materials mined in Indonesia fuel the international supply chain for stainless steel, electric vehicle batteries and more.
Experts said they fear that continued expansion of mining — which more than tripled in the area over the past five years — would lead to further deforestation, water pollution and disruption of the area’s precious ecosystem.
Auriga Nusantara’s report found that land used for mining in Raja Ampat grew by about 494 hectares from 2020 through last year. That was about three times the rate of expansion from the previous five years. The total permit area for mining in Raja Ampat — all for nickel — is more than 22,420 hectares.
Felled trees and open pits of orange-brown gravel and earth scar the islands where mining has started, Auriga Nusantara said.
Sediment from the mines could also be seen along the islands’ coasts as it was carried away by the ocean’s current.
“As long as the nickel mining continues to operate, the sediment will destroy coral and its surrounding ocean ecosystem,” Auriga Nusantara director Timer Manurung said. ”It’s really a threat for Raja Ampat, as the archipelago is known for ocean biodiversity and richness that makes it an international tourism destination.”
With the world’s largest known nickel reserves and rich deposits of cobalt, bauxite and other materials, Indonesia has been experiencing a mining boom on demand for stainless steel, electric vehicle batteries and more that are needed for the global energy transition.
The island nation has sought to expand its mining and processing capabilities while facing backlash from international and local watchdogs for various environmental concerns.
New mining pits were on at least four islands in the regency, the report said. One island with mining is within the UNESCO Global Geopark area.
Experts said the expansion of mining in Raja Ampat could have a disastrous effect on the rich marine ecosystem.
“Sedimentation, or the waste runoff generated from the mining on land that flows into the water, devastates downstream marine ecosystems,” said Victor Nikijuluw, a program adviser for Indonesia-based environmental organization Konservasi Indonesia.
“This muddy flow from mining clouds, waters, smothers coral reefs, displaces the animals that can leave the area, and generally endangers the nature that local biodiversity and communities depend on,” he added.
The diverse natural landscape and world-class diving destination has become a growing tourism draw for Indonesia: In 2023 the area drew more than 19,800 tourists, more than three times the number that visited in 2022, Statistics Indonesia data showed.
Local communities who rely on the area for their local livelihoods — including subsistence fishing for food and tourism-related activities for income — have said they have noticed decreased water quality since mining began, said marine ecologist Edy Setyawan, who works in Raja Ampat.
“They’ve seen the water get murkier and murkier,” he said.
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