Please End Mining in Raja Ampat's Protected Nature Park

TheIndonesia.co - Raja Ampat, an archipelago in West Papua, Indonesia, is globally celebrated for having one of the richest marine biodiversities on the planet. Home to over 1,600 fish species and about 75% of the world’s coral species, it has been designated a Marine Protected Area (MPA) and, since 2023, a UNESCO Global Geopark, underscoring its status as a symbol of marine conservation and sustainable tourism.

But this unique ecosystem is under threat. According to Antara News Agency, based on a journal written by Misbakhul Munir, a lecturer of UINSA (UIN Sunan Ampel Surabaya), a report by Auriga Nusantara reveals that in the past five years, land allocated for mining in Raja Ampat has tripled.

This expansion jeopardizes nine marine protected areas, putting more than 540 coral species and charismatic creatures such as hawksbill turtles, and manta rays at risk.

Since 2020, nickel mining has expanded sharply. By 2024, nearly 494 hectares of new mining areas were added, bringing the total mining concession area to over 22,000 hectares. This growth presents a clear conflict between environmental preservation and resource exploitation—particularly in small island ecosystems where resilience is fragile.

Mining activity, especially on small islands like Gag, Kawe, and Manuran, brings significant ecological risks. If not managed with strict sustainability standards, the process can lead to massive habitat loss, intense deforestation, and the erosion of fragile terrestrial and coastal ecosystems.

For example, nickel extraction on Kawe Island has already peeled away laterite layers up to 16 meters deep, indicating substantial early-stage ecological damage. According to Greenpeace, more than 500 hectares of natural forests have been lost, triggering soil erosion, increased river sedimentation, and coral reef degradation.

The area is also home to endangered and endemic species, such as the Gag Island rat (Rattus nikenii), now listed as critically endangered by the IUCN. Habitat destruction from mining heightens their extinction risk.

Serious Impacts on Land and Sea

Research by Laura J. Sonter et al. (2018) confirms that mining can cause widespread damage to biodiversity, including soil erosion, water pollution, and physiological stress on native flora and fauna. In marine areas, sedimentation from mining runoff reduces water clarity, blocking sunlight and depriving seabed organisms—like corals, seagrasses, and sponges—of oxygen and light.

During rainy seasons, mining-induced sedimentation increases as mangrove forests—natural sediment filters—are degraded. Without these natural buffers, fine sediment flows directly into coastal waters, smothering coral reefs. This process deprives corals of light, causing them to expel zooxanthellae, the symbiotic algae that provide 95% of the coral’s nutrients. Once lost, corals are unable to survive in nutrient-poor waters.

Moreover, mining transportation and runoff compounds these effects, accelerating sediment deposition that harms coral health and disrupts vital marine food webs. These consequences echo findings from tropical marine studies worldwide, showing the deep ecological damage sediment pollution can cause.

One highly sensitive area is the so-called “manta superhighway”, including Eagle Rock, where manta rays congregate for feeding and cleaning. Mining near Kawe Island poses a direct risk to this habitat. Sediment runoff threatens to clog cleaning stations and harm the rays’ delicate gill systems. It is vital to monitor manta ray movements with science-based tools to guide the creation of protected zones that exclude mining entirely.

Similarly, studies in Scotland have shown that vegetation fragmentation in mining areas disrupts insect-plant food networks. If this is true in temperate zones, the effect in Raja Ampat—one of Earth's most biodiverse marine regions—may be even more significant.

A Socio-Ecological Crisis

The consequences aren’t just ecological—they’re deeply social. The marine ecosystem in Raja Ampat supports traditional fisheries and a growing eco-tourism sector that many coastal communities depend on. Mining-related environmental degradation could collapse coral reef ecosystems and directly harm local economies.

While some hope that mining will offer short-term economic gain, it often leads to ecological losses that far outweigh the benefits—including long-term poverty, displacement, and increased disaster vulnerability.

Recognizing this, the Indonesian government on June 10, 2025, revoked the operating permits of four nickel mining companies in Raja Ampat. One exception was PT Gag Nikel (Antam), whose concession lies outside the UNESCO geopark boundaries. The company's operations may continue, but under strict government oversight following the March 2024 Constitutional Court ruling, which mandates the protection of small islands from high-risk industries like mining.

This policy move is commendable. However, it should only be the beginning.

A Call for Responsible Stewardship

To ensure lasting conservation, mining activity in and around protected zones like Raja Ampat must be phased out entirely. Scientific monitoring, including AMDAL (Environmental Impact Analysis) audits, must be compulsory and independently reviewed.

Environmental organizations such as Greenpeace, along with universities and independent institutions, should be directly involved in monitoring and recommending sustainable management strategies.

Community-based conservation offers a proven, inclusive model for protecting ecosystems. It emphasizes education and empowering Indigenous communities—especially those on Gag Island—to shift from mining dependency to eco-tourism and sustainable aquaculture. This approach aligns with Indonesia’s blue economy vision.

Other essential strategies include:

• Terracing and vegetative buffer zones to reduce runoff
• Constructing sustainable drainage systems
• Replanting coral and coastal vegetation
• Ongoing biodiversity monitoring, especially of coral reefs, manta rays, turtles, and reef fish

These actions should be supported by long-term funding from research institutions and conservation bodies to ensure the integrity of restoration programs.

A Fork in the Road

The conflict in Raja Ampat is not just about local policy. It is a global reflection of the tension between short-term industrial gain and long-term ecological survival. If mining continues unchecked in one of Earth’s most iconic marine parks, it will undermine decades of progress in conservation, threaten rare and irreplaceable species, and harm communities who have lived in harmony with the sea for generations.

We respectfully urge that no mining activity should continue in or near the Raja Ampat Geopark, even with strict conditions. This land and sea are not only rich in resources—they are rich in life, culture, and hope.

Raja Ampat deserves full protection, not partial compromise. Let this archipelago remain a beacon of marine beauty, not a victim of industrial ambition.