The remote Indonesian island of Halmahera is now at the center of the country's nickel industry. Nickel mining has led to water pollution, land degradation and a loss of fish stocks, leaving Indigenous communities struggling to produce everyday staples.
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00:00Halmahera, a remote Indonesian island.
00:06It's almost a full day's journey from the capital Jakarta by airplane, boat, and car.
00:13The island was once a bastion of serene coastal and farming communities.
00:18Now it's the center of Indonesia's booming nickel industry.
00:24Nickel is a critical component for lithium ion batteries.
00:28Invested in renewable energy technologies and electric vehicles.
00:34But the global demand is severely changing people's lives here.
00:42Nature is our life, but now clean water is scarce.
00:48Abigail Burnama belongs to the Sawai tribe.
00:51The nickel industry is expanding into her district around Weda Bay.
00:56Many residents have been forced to sell their land due to financial problems.
01:00Abigail is raising awareness about the dire situation of her community.
01:09In the past, people could still bathe in these waters and collect shellfish.
01:19But now they can't do that anymore because it's muddy.
01:26The ongoing expansion of nickel mining has led to water pollution, deforestation, and
01:32a disruption of local ecosystems.
01:35Activist Masri Anwar is documenting the destruction caused by Indonesia's Weda Bay Industrial
01:41Park, or IWIP.
01:43The coastline used to be covered with coral reefs.
01:49The coral reefs were good, and because of them and the mangrove forests, it was easy
01:54for people to go fishing and come back with a good catch.
01:59But since the company IWIP started reclaiming land from the water, people are struggling
02:04to find fish.
02:08The islanders are finding it increasingly difficult to provide for themselves.
02:12Hardly anyone here still owns land to grow their own crops.
02:16So Abigail Bronama decided to take matters into her own hands.
02:21With the land becoming increasingly degraded, it's now difficult to get foods that were
02:24once staples here.
02:26So she borrowed money from the bank to build this market, allowing residents to purchase
02:31traditional foodstuffs.
02:33Some things that were once plentiful even have to be imported from other islands.
02:41Before the company came, we ate sweet potatoes and cassava.
02:49This cassava is made and processed into cassava sago, which was our main staple.
02:57But since the company came, I now rarely eat it.
03:00It's gone.
03:01So if I want to eat sago, I have to buy it from outside.
03:05And things are likely to get worse.
03:07The mining site is set to grow three-fold in the coming years, with international companies
03:12looking to invest.
03:15German chemicals giant BASF was part of the joint investment project, but has now decided
03:21to cease all activities here after assessing the risks to the environment and the community.
03:27In some areas, like Sagaya village in central Halmahera, activists and local tribes are
03:33raising their voices against the industrial expansion.
03:37This small café has become a discussion centre for young people who care about the
03:41village.
03:42They've also created a library where residents can learn about the environment.
03:50As long as there are still new mining permits being issued, we will keep putting up resistance
03:55and reject these plans.
03:59The North Maluku provincial government did temporarily suspend activities at a number
04:04of mining sites in the Sagaya area, thanks to earlier protests.
04:09But the local authorities say the revenue from mining will ultimately benefit the community.
04:16The nickel will eventually run out.
04:18Then we have to develop all the sites to improve people's quality of life.
04:23So using the profit from nickel, there must be a bigger budget for the education sector.
04:33Everyone in our area must receive a better education.
04:41But the islanders fear they have more to lose in the degradation of the land on which they
04:46depend.
04:47They're determined to keep up their protest against the expansion of nickel mining.