Mining threat persists in the 'Amazon of the Seas'
Mongabay's follow-up notes that UNESCO's advisers asked Indonesia for more information on nickel mining before approving the Raja Ampat biosphere reserve in 2025.
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Raja Ampat · 3
Energy minister: no new mining permits in Raja Ampat, only Gag Nikel operates
Responding to Greenpeace, Bahlil Lahadalia said the only active permit belongs to state-owned PT Gag Nikel, which predates his tenure, and that the other permits were revoked in 2025.
A year after #SaveRajaAmpat, three nickel licences are still in process
Greenpeace's 'Unprotected Paradise' report finds mines planned for eastern Waigeo and says the 2025 revocation of four permits fell short of real protection.
Morowali, Central Sulawesi · 2
Nickel pig iron smelters at IMIP cut output to 30–40% of capacity
RKEF lines at the Morowali industrial park began reducing production. The market is waiting on further 2026 mining quota (RKAB) approvals, and a revised ore benchmark formula took effect on 15 September.
Ecopro installs HPAL reactors at its Sulawesi smelter, eyes 2027 production
The BNSI project inside the IGIP complex is designed for 90,000 tonnes of nickel a year. Partners GEM aim to finish construction by end-2026.
Central Kalimantan · 2
Local responders say drought conditions are worse than in 2015
Water sources in Kalimantan are drying up under a super El Niño, and haze has drifted over 1,000 km to Cebu in the Philippines. Seventy-two people were arrested in August on suspicion of starting fires.
Forestry minister calls September the decisive month as El Niño fires peak
About 200,000 ha burned between January and July. Haze has caused tens of thousands of respiratory infections, pushed schools online in Malaysia and reached Manila. The minister says most fires were set deliberately.
Merauke, South Papua · 2
WALHI says national strategic projects are speeding up deforestation
Speaking at an Earth Day protest outside parliament, WALHI pointed to the Merauke sugarcane project as an example of forests and livelihoods lost to state-backed development.
Papuan communities challenge release of nearly 487,000 ha of forest for food and energy projects
Twelve representatives from Boven Digoel and Merauke filed an administrative objection to the forestry decree reclassifying the land, where they had already applied for customary forest recognition.
Sorong, Southwest Papua · 1
Indigenous Papuan women press for land and forest rights at PAPEDA Summit
Speakers from the Moi and other communities described losing forest access. Officials said 12 customary-law communities in Papua have been formally recognised, with dozens of claims still under review.
Papua · 1
Deforestation rose 66% in 2025, reversing years of decline
Auriga Nusantara estimates over 430,000 ha were cleared last year, the highest in nearly a decade. Papua saw a sharp rise, and nearly half the loss happened inside licensed concessions.
Bantaeng, South Sulawesi · 1
Bantaeng residents describe living between smelters that run day and night
A long-form report on smoke, dust and health complaints around the Bantaeng Industrial Park, where several Chinese-backed smelters operate. Residents say neither companies nor government have acted.