Expansion of Nickel Mining Triggers Deforestation of 25,000 Hectares

Auriga's analysis also shows that cumulatively in the last 20 years an area of ​​24,811 hectares of forest land was cleared due to nickel mining. The greatest deforestation due to nickel mining occurred in 2012.

The following article was translated using both Microsoft Azure Open AI and Google Translation AI.

KOMPAS/BAHANA PATRIA GUPTA

There is a nickel mine in Tapunggaya Village, Molawe District, North Konawe Regency, on Wednesday (8/7/2019).

JAKARTA, KOMPAS - Indonesia continues to strive to develop mining and nickel industries as raw materials for electric vehicle batteries. However, the massive expansion of nickel mining has triggered deforestation, reaching nearly 25,000 hectares in various areas in Indonesia.

Auriga Nusantara researcher, Dedy Sukmara, stated that the massive development of electric vehicles viewed as environmentally friendly transportation actually has the potential to threaten the sustainability of natural forests. This is because the expansion of nickel mining for the needs of electric vehicle batteries has caused deforestation in various regions in Indonesia.

“Nickel mining licenses until 2023 will be in second place after gold with an area of ​​nearly 900,000 hectares. However, nickel mining entities are the largest with a total of 319 permits," he said in an online discussion on deforestation in the nickel industry held by Auriga Nusantara, Thursday (13/7/2023).

Not all regions that have high mineral resources are able to develop and progress.

The latest data from the Mineral and Coal Resources Center and Geothermal (PSDMBP) under the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) shows that Indonesia is one of the countries with the largest nickel reserves in the world. As of the year 2023, nickel resources in Indonesia reach 17.33 billion tons, with 5.03 billion tons of reserves.

Based on Auriga's mapping of mining land cover from 2000 to 2022, overall mining pits in Indonesia tend to increase in size. The nickel mining pits have also significantly increased since 2011.

AURIGA NUSANTARA

Annual nickel deforestation 2000-2022

The Auriga analysis also shows that in the past 20 years, a cumulative total of 24,811 hectares of forest land has been opened for nickel mining. Deforestation due to nickel mining was most significant in 2012, covering an area of ​​almost 4,000 hectares. This deforestation occurred in various regions, including North Maluku, West Papua, South Sulawesi, Central Sulawesi, and Southeast Sulawesi.

"This expansion raises concerns regarding the condition of natural forests within the 560,000-hectare nickel mining concession. The largest natural forest area within the nickel concession is located in Central Sulawesi, covering over 200,000 hectares," said Dedy.

Also read: Nickel Mining Contributes to Increasing Ecological Damage

The Executive Director of the Indonesia Mining Association (IMA), Djoko Widajatno, stated that a decrease in forest cover due to mining activities would not occur if supervision aspects, including local government, could work properly. This is because the Mineral and Coal Mining Law No. 3 of 2020 stipulates that opening a mine must be in accordance with its need and reclamation.

"If mining activities are carried out properly, there will be no problem with deforestation," he said.

KOMPAS/SAIFUL RIJAL YUNUS

The open mining area at the peak of a hill in the Southeastern Wawonii region, Konawe Islands, as seen on Tuesday (30/5/2023). The nickel mining has been protested multiple times by residents, starting from land issues to causing damaged and muddy water sources.

In addition, post-mining land in forest areas must also be returned in accordance with its designated purpose such as production forest or protected forest. Some potential uses of post-mining land include silvopasture livestock development, fisheries or water reserves, and new renewable energy sources.

Development strategy

Planning Associate Expert Coordinator for Mineral, Coal and Geology of the Ministry of National Planning and Development (PPN/Bappenas) Dody Virgo Sinaga stated that Bappenas will develop stages related to nickel development as contained in the National Long-Term Development Plan (RPJPN) document. the next 20 years. However, this nickel development stage will still pay attention to environmental aspects.

The main strategy for nickel development includes increasing reserve resilience, optimizing ore production and refining processing industry efficiency. Then, there will be development of fabrication and manufacturing industries, increasing domestic component levels, as well as planning for recycling systems.

"Not all regions with high mineral resources are able to develop and advance. Therefore, in the formulation of future planning and strategy, it is also necessary to think about downstream processing or increasing the added value of mineral resources," he said.

KOMPAS/MOHAMAD FINAL DAENG

The atmosphere at the HPAL factory belonging to the Harita Nickel Group on Obi Island, South Halmahera Regency, North Maluku, on Sunday (9/4/2023). The facility processes nickel ore into a product called MHP, which is an intermediate material for making electric vehicle batteries.

According to Dody, another effort needed to increase added value is to intensify the construction of smelters at a number of points. In the smelter industrial area strategic project, there are 31 priority smelters to be built in the regions of Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Nusa Tenggara and Halmahera.

Also read: Nickel Management and Foreign Dependence Determine the Battery Ecosystem

However, apart from increasing added value, Dody also acknowledged that the development ofsmelters that were integrated with mines also had a negative impact. These negative impacts are not only from the environmental aspect, but can also trigger resource conflicts, economic inequality, and dependence on commodity prices.

"The mineral processing process in the smelter can produce toxic waste. We certainly ask related units that have the capacity or authority over this matter to perform their functions better. This is what needs to be strengthened in the future so that negative impacts can be minimized," he said.