Info SOS Raja Ampat opened to mining including nickel - please protest

[fantarara]

Nickel mining has been found in Raja Ampat in Gag, Kawe and Manuran Islands. Local people and activists have protested and asked these mines to be closed. Activists have cited Indonesian law that prohibits mining to be undertaken in small island ecosystem.

I have not followed this issue closely, but today Greenpeace Indonesia undertook a public disruption to protest mining in Raja Ampat. Here is the link to the press release (sorry, it's in Indonesian but I think it should be easy for anyone to use AI to translate it) Kritik Industrialisasi Nikel, Aktivis Greenpeace Gelar Aksi di Konferensi Nikel Internasional di Jakarta - Greenpeace Indonesia

I will post more updates as I learn more about this issue. But if you're going to R4, please voice your concern on mining in R4 to local authorities

Also it wouldn't hurt for divers and those who love R4 and would like your children, grandchildren, to have the opportunity to dive R4, to flood the Indonesian embassies in your countries with protest against mining in R4.

Mining, in particularly nickel, has already wreaked havoc in other places in Indonesia. Some media coverage on this:

The hidden cost of Indonesia's nickel boom – DW – 04/30/2025

A new investigation shows how a once pristine Indonesian island was sacrificed for global battery supply chains.

www.dw.com

Weighing the green cost: How nickel mining in Indonesia impacts forests and local communities

While the expansion of nickel mines drives deforestation, communities across Sulawesi experience a mix of benefits and challenges.

theconversation.com

Nickel Mining Operation Is ‘Slowly Killing Us’, Indonesian Farmers Say

Muddy water flowing in the house of Saharia, a resident of Dompo-Dompo Jaya Village in Southeast Sulawesi, on May 20, 2023. (Project M/Riza Salman) Farmers in Wawonii, Southeast Sulawesi, are up in arms about a nickel mining operation that is slowly destroying their ecosystem. “EVEN ani

projectmultatuli.org

ABC Australia coverage

mining near Weda Bay (@Indah, owner of Weda Bay resort has had to close the resort due to mining, cmiiw)

'bloody nickel series' by watchdog documentary

 

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Indonesia’s deforestation claims under scrutiny over ‘cherry-picked’ data

JAKARTA — Researchers have called out the Indonesian government’s claim of having reduced deforestation by 90% over the past decade, pointing to cherry-picked data and a skewed baseline that paint an incomplete picture of the reality on the ground. In a recently published report, Norwegian and...

news.mongabay.com

 

[fantarara]

Article in English about the fiasco. Apparently there are 5 mining licenses granted in R4. One is currently operational (according to Greenpeace, of those 5, 3 are in exploration stage).
Sorry just reliased this is behind paywall. Will try copy paste later on.

Energy ministry temporarily halts nickel mining operations in Raja Ampat - Regulations - The Jakarta Post

Following a peaceful protest by Greenpeace at a minerals expo on Thursday, the energy ministry announced it had temporarily suspended Gag Nikel's mining operations in Raja Ampat to conduct field verification.

www.thejakartapost.com

Greenpeace has a petition if you'd like to sign. I think it's more effective if you email Indonesian embassies around the world so the govt know intl community know about this threat to our environment.

#SaveRajaAmpat - Greenpeace Indonesia

Kegiatan penambangan nikel di Raja Ampat berpotensi menyebabkan kerusakan permanen pada terumbu karang dan habitat darat melalui penggundulan hutan, sedimentasi dan polusi.

www.greenpeace.org