Can gold mining and forest conservation co-exist? A dilemma from Indonesia

A carnivorous pitcher plant in HARP forest, indicating a healthy forest ecosystem

November 7, 2022

HARP forest covers 14 square kilometers (5 ½ square miles) of rainforest on the Indonesian part of the island of Borneo. In 2018, the communities around HARP agreed to protect this forest from agricultural development, and in 2020 FCF began funding conservation activities there, thanks to support from PZ Cussons.

Surrounded by palm oil plantations, HARP provides a refuge for the rich biodiversity of the area, including gibbons, sun bears, the Borneo bearded pig, giant frogs, and spiny turtles. Part of the forest lies on peat wetlands, making it an important carbon store. The local communities rely on the forest for timber for their houses, fish, and medicinal plants. HARP also includes cemeteries and other sacred spaces which hold significance for the indigenous communities.

Unfortunately, HARP forest is threatened because it lies on top of another precious resource: gold. For decades, local community members have been engaging in small-scale mining in the river bed. With the increase in gold prices over the past few years, this activity has intensified, and miners are now moving out into the forest – clearing a few hectares at a time to look for gold deposits. The same community which declared that they wished to protect their forest now finds itself dependent on the slow destruction of this forest to meet its livelihood needs.

FCF’s Asia Portfolio Manager, Arif Wijaya, visited HARP in October to assess the situation and determine if the forest could be saved. He discussed the importance of the forest resources with community leaders, palm oil companies, the police, army, and regional government heads. He participated in local tree-planting events, sponsored by FCF donor One Tree Planted, at a school and an abandoned mining site. In one tense community meeting, Arif learned about the presence of a “land mafia”, an unfortunately common phenomenon in Indonesia, whereby mafia leaders “sell” forested land which does not belong to them to small-scale palm oil farmers, and intimidate local leaders to prevent prosecution.

Environmental and social impacts of mining

Illegal mine and camp inside HARP forest

Arif also visited some illegal mining camps inside the forest and witnessed the severe impacts of small-scale mining on the HARP community. Miners dredge river and swamp beds, polluting the water and disturbing fish stocks. Many families are unaware that using mercury to separate out the gold presents serious developmental risks to children, both directly and through contamination of food and water. The situation in HARP is replicated throughout the country – one study published by the US National Institutes of Health found over 2000 small-scale gold mines in Indonesia, with serious negative impacts on public health, the environment, and worker safety.

The challenges for protecting the HARP forest are serious, but there are many elements that have convinced Arif and FCF that the situation can be turned around. There is strong support for forest conservation; the communities value the economic and cultural services that HARP provides. There is a nascent but respected community organization, LPRP, which is recognized in village regulation as having rights to manage the forest. With FCF funding, LPRP has been carrying out educational activities, meeting with miners and loggers, patrolling the forest, and replanting abandoned mine sites for the past two years.

After Arif’s visit, LPRP have decided to lead a process to formalize and legalize the mine, ensuring that working conditions are safe and that there is no more deforestation. They will look for investment to allow the community to purchase equipment that will separate the gold mechanically and eliminate the need for dangerous mercury. This technology should also allow miners to extract more gold from the sites which have already been opened, and provide sufficient income such that miners do not need to go deeper into the forest.

A risk worth taking

FCF’s Grants Committee is the body of experts which approves and monitors FCF projects. They have been following the HARP case since the first deforestation alerts were received. While the challenges to forest protection are significant, the Grants Committee is committed to supporting HARP given the interest of the community to protect this forest and its significant biodiversity and carbon value. They have asked Arif and the FCF team to help LPRP to develop an action plan with clear milestones linked to formalization of the mine and technological improvements, and expect to see a decrease in deforestation within the next twelve months.

We believe that there is institutional and community support for saving HARP, and that a path forward can be found to keep forests standing while producing income from already-cleared areas through safe, responsible mining. Continued support from FCF and donors will strengthen LPRP and help them stand up to land mafias and gain access to village development government programmes. We have to try! Stakeholders can follow progress through HARP’s quarterly reports, available on their project page. Anyone who would like to get involved or financially support this project is welcome to contact us at info (at) fundforests.org.

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