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Save Raja Ampat

Before it was widely discussed by netizens on social media recently, the Kompas Team had highlighted the nickel mine on Gag Island, Raja Ampat Islands, Southwest Papua, in the Tanah Papua Expedition, June 2021. The expedition team found environmental damage in several areas in Tanah Papua, including due to mining, including the nickel mine on Gag Island, Raja Ampat (Kompas, 26/2/2022). 

The company that manages the nickel mine, PT Gag Nikel, is a subsidiary of PT Aneka Tambang, a state-owned enterprise (BUMN). Sorong Office Manager of PT Gag Nikel Ruddy Sumual, who was met by the expedition team at that time, said that PT Gag Nikel had obtained a nickel exploration permit on Gag Island in 1998. The company received a production permit in 2017 and started production a year later. The production target reaches 1.8 million tons per year 

The expedition team also interviewed Saharin Sidik, Head of the Magimai Indigenous Community (Keret) on Gag Island, who admitted that he had just found out that his signature was used as a land release document. He considered that the community was lied to because at that time they were given blank sheets to sign. In June 2021, the impact of mining was already felt by the community. Sediment on the seabed due to erosion from the mining area caused a decrease in fish. Nickel dust flew towards residential areas. 

Four years later, a number of environmental activists again voiced the impact of the nickel mine which was increasingly widespread on the damage to the aquatic ecosystem of the Raja Ampat Islands, which would have an impact on tourism. In fact, apart from PT Gag Nikel, there are four other companies running nickel mining businesses in Raja Ampat 

The government responded quickly to this public criticism. The Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) Bahlil Lahadalia temporarily stopped the operations of PT Gag Nikel on Thursday (5/6/2025) and visited the mining location directly on Saturday (7/6). The Ministry of ESDM also deployed a team of mine inspectors to thoroughly evaluate the nickel mine. 

The official results of the ESDM Ministry's evaluation are awaited. However, we hope that the evaluation will not only be carried out by the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, but also comprehensively by the Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of State-Owned Enterprises, and other related parties. This is because the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 2023 has designated Raja Ampat as a UNESCO Global Geopark. 

We understand the dilemma faced by the government on this issue. Nickel mining is needed to accelerate industrialization. However, we believe that the sustainability of the ecosystem containing biodiversity is also very important for the future of Indonesia. 

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Tag: Aneka Tambang BUMN Raja Ampat Tanah Papua Expedition