September 14, 2024

A nickel boom threatens Indonesia's "Forest People"

topic:	Indigenous people
located:	Indonesia
editor:	Leo Galuh

Amid the constant movement of trucks, the billowing factory smoke, and factory workers, deep within the forests of Halmahera Island, North Maluku, Indonesia, dozens of Indigenous people are facing threats to their lives. 

The lives of 300 to 500 members of the O’hongana Manyawa indigenous tribe are impacted by nickel mining and refining companies operating under the Indonesia Weda Bay Industrial Park (IWIP).

IWIP controls around 5,000 hectares of land, with investments totalling USD 11 billion. Three companies operate inside IWIP: Weda Bay Nickel, Yashi Indonesia Investment, and Youshan Nickel Indonesia. 

The O’hongana Manyawa are a nomadic indigenous tribe living in harmony with nature in a remote area of Halmahera Island. Indonesia, the largest country in Southeast Asia, holds 42% of the world’s nickel reserves. However, the country’s nickel boom, fuelled by rising global demand for electric vehicle batteries, is destroying their forest home and food sources.

“The mines encroach on our village daily, pushing our hunting grounds further away. As the mining equipment advances, we have to hunt even farther,” Mardon Saolat told FairPlanet in basic Indonesian. Many of the O’hongana Manyawa people do not speak fluent Indonesian.

As evidence of how this nomadic indigenous tribe is struggling to find food, some have been forced to approach the mining area, confronting the companies’ bulldozers. They are meant to live peacefully as the last hunter-gatherer tribe in the country, but deforestation, destruction, and polluted rivers contribute to their suffering.

The Indonesian government is ambitious about its nickel downstream sectors, aiming to capitalise on the nickel reserves in Eastern Indonesia, including Central Sulawesi, Southeast Sulawesi, and North Maluku. 

The government believes this sector will attract higher-quality investments and drive industrialisation in the region. 

In reality, however, this sector has harmed the mother nature. 

For example, Sagea pollution and the rivers in Weda Bay are worsening. Forest Watch Indonesia (FWI) reported that between 2021 and 2023, 392 hectares of forest were deforested in the Sagea River basin.

Indeed, the consequences have been severe and rapid. Heavy flooding submerged several villages in Weda up to 2 metres deep, affecting roads in the IWIP area in July 2024. 

Moreover, the Indonesian government has the authority to impose a moratorium on nickel mining in eastern Indonesia. This would help prevent ecological disasters and the displacement of local communities.

The Indonesian government, companies, and local people can learn from the O’hongana Manyawa’s sustainable practices. They possess traditional knowledge in conserving biodiversity and managing resource use. The nomadic indigenous people have no economic motives. They know how to halt the exploitation of natural resources.

Therefore, we should stop labelling them as a neglected community. Their traditional lifestyle does not mean they are less civilised than modern people.

Image by Mas Agung Wilis Yudha Baskoro.

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