Nickel mining pushes into Raja Ampat's famous reefs

Raja Ampat, a group of islands in eastern Indonesia, holds what scientists call the most diverse marine life on Earth, including more than 2,000 reef manta rays. But nickel mining is now pushing into this area, and the clash is drawing international attention. As the Associated Press reports, the government granted new mining permits on three northern islands in 2025, some inside a UNESCO Global Geopark and close to famous diving spots.

For two decades, Raja Ampat had gone the other way. Since 2007, ten protected zones covering 2 million hectares, about 45 percent of the area's reefs, seagrass, and mangroves, were set up after a 2003 study helped shift the local economy away from mining and fishing with explosives toward tourism. A US$40 marine-park entry fee helps pay for it. After public anger over the new permits, the government cancelled four of them, but one remains active on Gag Island, where mining has gone on since 2017.

The pull behind the mining is huge. Indonesia holds about 43 percent of the world's known nickel, a metal used in electric-car batteries and stainless steel, and processing that nickel into higher-value goods at home is central to the country's economic plan. But conservationists say the two goals collide here. "The heavy machinery, the excavators, bulldozers, they're still there," said Timer Manurung of the environmental group Auriga Nusantara.

Why it matters

If you work in tourism, fishing, or conservation, this decides whether one of Indonesia's greatest natural draws stays intact or is traded for mining income. It also shows the hard choice at the heart of the country's nickel boom: money and jobs now, against reefs and a reputation that took decades to build. Watch whether the remaining Gag Island permit is reviewed, or more concessions come back.