Experts and advocates warn of nickel mining's risk to precious marine region of Indonesia

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A new report says the expansion of nickel mining in Indonesia is a threat to one of Earth's most biodiverse marine regions

JAKARTA, Indonesia — One of Earth's most biodiverse marine regions is threatened by the expansion of nickel mining projects in Indonesia, according to a new report.

Satellite analysis and on-the-ground visits found a rapid increase in land given over to mining pits in Raja Ampat Regency, a group of tropical islands near West Papua, according to the report from Auriga Nusantara, an environmental and conservation organization in Indonesia.

A few degrees south of the equator, the islands are home to 75% of the world’s coral species and over 1,600 fish species, including critically endangered hawksbill sea turtles and vulnerable reef manta rays. The regency has at least nine marine protected areas spread over nearly 2 million hectares (4.9 million acres), and was named a UNESCO Global Geopark in 2023, recognizing the international value of its geological heritage.

Much of the materials mined in Indonesia fuel the international supply chain for stainless steel, electric vehicle batteries and more. Experts fear that continued expansion of mining — which more than tripled in the area the past five years — will lead to further deforestation, water pollution and disruption of the area's precious ecosystem.

Auriga Nusantara's report found that land used for mining in Raja Ampat grew by about 494 hectares (about 1,220 acres) from 2020 through 2024. That was about three times the rate of expansion from the previous five years. The total permit area for mining in Raja Ampat — all for nickel — is more than 22,420 hectares, or about 55,400 acres.

Felled trees and open pits of orange-brown gravel and earth scar