Written by Prof. Widodo Setiyo Pranowo, Korea-Indonesia Marine Technology Cooperation and Research Center (MTCRC) Advisory Board.
National revenue is one of the Important funding sources to ensure the sustainability of a country’s existence. The Negara Kesatuan Republik Indonesia (NKRI) has abundant and highly diverse natural resources, some of which have been utilized to generate revenue.
The utilization of natural resources, in theory, should be pursued sustainably. Sustainability means that activities or utilization, when implemented, must provide benefits environmentally, socially (including culturally), and economically. All three of these benefits must be fulfilled, not just one or two.
When there is a case of forest clearance on a small island for nickel mining purposes, an integrative and comprehensive study regarding its potential impact on the environment and the socio economic aspects of the surrounding community must be conducted before its implementation.
The environmental impact assessment must be thoroughly studied from upstream to downstream. The opened forest should estimate the ecosystem services lost, such as carbon absorption, decreased oxygen production, and the estimated loss of (land and marine) biodiversity.
During extreme rainfall, there is a potential runoff from the land supplying turbidity to the (coastal) waters. The once-clear waters then become murky, driving fish away from their habitats and potentially disrupting the comfort of coral reef life or causing coral death. This can then have systemic impacts on the living conditions of the surrounding community
“One day fishing” fishermen may need to search for fish farther than usual, thus consuming more ship fuel than usual. When coral ecosystems are disrupted, their ability to serve as fish breeding grounds is also disturbed, which can affect the provision of fish larvae.
All the important hypothetical negative impacts resulting from the study should serve as a reference for formulating an environmental monitoring and management plan and the social conditions of the community that can truly be operationalized, especially by the company of nickel mining activities, local governments, and the central government, not just written in documents.
Then, what the company should do for the real actions to minimizing negative impacts?
The company of nickel mining must actively monitor environmental pollution and have rapid response teams to control and mitigate pollution on land and in waters promptly. The company should also provide funds or facilities as corporate social responsibility (CSR) to empower the community, develop education and health facilities, restore environmental damage, and so on, so that the surrounding community can also benefit from the sweetness of the nickel mined from the island they have long inhabited.
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