Civil society organization Auriga Nusantara raises concerns over Indonesia’s fragile coral reef ecosystems, warning that widespread nickel mining in coastal and small island regions may irreversibly damage the very marine biodiversity the country frequently promotes on the global stage.

In a media conference held in Jakarta on Monday, June 16, 2025, attended by researchers, academics, and members of the press, Auriga presented a new policy paper detailing how industrial mining activities are increasingly encroaching on areas designated as the Coral Triangle, the epicenter of global marine biodiversity spanning Eastern Indonesia.

“The contradiction is stark. At forums like the United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice, France, the Indonesian government touts its vast coral reefs and marine resources to attract global investment under the blue economy. Yet at home, the same ecosystems are being destroyed under the weight of extractive industry expansion, aided by permissive regulations,” Parid Ridwanuddin, Marine Researcher at Auriga Nusantara, said.

Speakers at the event pointed to a complex web of “extractive regulations” that, rather than safeguarding marine ecosystems, often legitimize their degradation.

“Indonesia’s mining laws are dominated by what Nobel laureates have described as extractive institutions,” Muhamad Karim, lecturer at Trilogi University Jakarta, said.

“They benefit elites while neglecting environmental and social consequences. In fact, these regulations have overridden protections like Law No. 27/2007, which explicitly bans mining on islands smaller than 2,000 km2, a rule widely ignored in areas like Raja Ampat, Halmahera, and Southeast Sulawesi,” he cited.

Karim and others stressed that laws such as the Job Creation Law and the revised Mineral and Coal Law (Minerba) have expanded mining jurisdiction into protected and residential areas, effectively turning Indonesia’s entire archipelago into potential mining zones.

Meanwhile, Abdul Motalib Angkotasan, Marine Science lecturer at Khairun University Ternate, emphasized the ecological and social costs of mining in small islands, particularly concerning freshwater scarcity.

“Mining not only destroys coral ecosystems, but also contaminates water sources. In places like Wakatobi and Muna Island, communities depend solely on rainwater due to a lack of clean groundwater. Once that’s polluted, there’s no backup,” Abdul cited.

This sentiment was echoed by Parid, who pointed to Sangihe Island’s controversial gold mine as a case in point. Despite protests and legal challenges, government permits for mining persisted a clear violation, he argued, of both environmental law and the 1945 Constitution.

Adding further criticism, Yosep, former Kompas journalist, highlighted the government's inconsistent stance on climate and marine policy.

“The government is ratifying international treaties like the 30x30 ocean protection target while simultaneously allowing exploitation of marine conservation zones under Presidential Regulation No. 27/2021. This undermines Indonesia’s global climate commitments. We say we’re a maritime nation, yet we treat our oceans as industrial backyards,” Yosep said.

He warned that this incoherence could accelerate climate-driven disasters. “Rising sea levels are already swallowing small islands. But with unchecked mining and weak environmental enforcement, we're inviting catastrophe,” he said.

Predatory laws

Auriga’s policy brief calls for an immediate moratorium on mining in ecologically critical zones, a rollback of laws that facilitate industrial access to conservation areas, and a thorough environmental review of mining's long-term impact.

“There are two predator laws we must address,” Parid said. “The revised Minerba Law, which absurdly defines the entire country as a mining jurisdiction, and the Job Creation Law, which legalizes converting conservation zones into industrial zones under the guise of national strategic projects. If we are serious about climate justice, these laws must go.”

Auriga also plans to release a position paper on mangrove ecosystem protection in July, as part of the observance of World Democracy Day.

The discussion ultimately framed the crisis as governance regulatory capture, a deep entanglement between political elites, corporate interests, and regulatory frameworks.

“There’s a well-known collusion between power and oligarchy. Politicians with direct stakes in mining operations are crafting and backing these extractive policies. Without political courage to revoke these harmful regulations, no amount of global climate pledges will matter,” Karim said.

As Indonesia races toward its green energy transition, fueled in part by global demand for nickel in electric vehicle batteries, the panelists warned that climate action must not come at the cost of the environment itself.

“We cannot fight climate change by destroying the ecosystems that sustain us,” Parid concluded.