The local context
Since 2018, the’Indonesia has become the 1er world nickel producer crude and refined, a critical metal for the energy transition. Nickel is used in batteries for electric vehicles and in the production of stainless steel. It is currently used in, 1.1 million hectares dedicated to nickel mining concessions have been authorised on Indonesian territory, nearly 660,000 ha of which are located in Sulawesi, including 333,194 ha in the South Pacific. ha in Sulawesi Tenggara. 
The areas targeted by the industry are the so-called « ultramafic »They concentrate large quantities of heavy metals such as : nickel, cobalt, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, lead. Normally governed by environmental laws, the extraction of nickel ore is carried out without taking account of Indonesian laws: there is no consultation with the local population, no environmental impact studies, no retention basin, no respect for protected areas and minimum distances from the coast and rivers/sources, and no reclamation after mining.
Refining also has major environmental impacts: toxic industrial waste untreated in terrestrial and marine ecosystems, electricity production via coal-fired power stations (deforestation in Borneo for the extraction of heavy coal), massive atmospheric emissions of Co2 and SO2, etc...
Project objectives
Gathering as much information as possible on the nickel issue in Indonesia.
Informing the populations affected and helping them to fight for their rights.
Identify priority conservation areas in the region.
Conduct media campaigns.
Issues
After the operating phase, the bare land is barren, The heavy metals in the water will probably keep it there for centuries to come. In a region that suffers an annual monsoons, soil erosion and leaching are extreme, and sediments and fertilisers are a major source of pollution. pollutants reach the marine environment via rivers and streams. Right in the heart of the Coral Triangle, along the coasts where the mines are located, the reefs are dying and the fish are disappearing.
In the Philippines, 2th nickel producer in the world, the same observations are being made by local people and NGOs: a collapse of fish stocks ! Added to this are the high levels of nickel in the urine of local populations (5 to 30 times the world average) and the appearance of skin and respiratory diseases, particularly among young people. Some studies show thresholds exceeded of 200% to 800% for heavy metals such as copper, cadmium, hexavalent chromium and nickel in marine organisms!
Boosted by energy transition, a major ecocide is underway, terrestrial and marine ecosystems of international importance are being destroyed, and there will be no point of return... The situation is particularly worrying and there is an urgent need for both industry and politicians to shoulder their responsibilities and put a stop to this environmental carnage.
Already completed
On behalf of Naturevolution Indonesia: bibliographical compilation on the nickel industry and industrial processes, waste treatment; cartographic compilation of all nickel mining concessions up to the end of 2024; cartographic studies of overlaps with protected areas, Key Biodiversity Areas and known protected perimeters under the various ministries (geology, environment and forestry).
Photographs of mining sites, refineries and impacted natural environments.
Lobbying work on the nickel ecocide during the COP16 biodiversity conference in Cali in 2024.
Collaboration with Reporterre to denounce the situation (here) and with Mediapart and investigative journalists specialising in the environment to go further (here).
Creation and launch of a website bringing together all available information on the ecocide in Indonesia and the Coral Triangle linked to the deadly nickel industry: www.nickel-ecocide.com
