Indonesia takes action against mining firms after floods devastate population of world’s rarest ape

Описание: Indonesia takes action against mining firms after floods devastate population of world’s rarest ape

Conservationists hail the ‘desperately needed’ measures and urge greater protection after up to 11% of endangered Tapanuli orangutans wiped out

The floods and landslides that tore through Indonesia’s fragile Batang Toru ecosystem in November 2024 – killing up to 11% of the world’s Tapanuli orangutan population – prompted widespread scrutiny of the extractive companies operating in the area at the time of the ecological catastrophe.

For weeks, investigators searched for evidence that the companies may have damaged the Batang Toru and Garoga watersheds before the disaster, which washed torrents of mud and logs into villages, claiming the lives of more than 1,100 people.

Now, the government is taking action. Over the past week, Indonesia’s president, Prabowo Subianto, has announced a number of measures to hold companies accountable over what scientists say was an “extinction-level disturbance” for the world’s rarest ape.

“This is the news we have been waiting for, and the deep breath the Batang Toru ecosystem desperately needed,” said Amanda Hurowitz, the forest commodities lead at conservation nonprofit Mighty Earth, which has long been fighting threats to the Tapanuli.

On Tuesday, the Indonesian government said it would revoke the permits of 28 companies, halting their operations in the area. This includes the permits for mining company PT Agincourt Resources, behind the Martabe goldmine, as well as the permit for PT North Sumatera Hydro Energy, the developer of a large hydropower project being built along the Batang Toru River. The other permits were largely focused on timber harvesting and oil palm plantations.

The decision follows the results of an investigation by the country’s Forest Area Regulation Task Force.

Earlier this week, the country’s environment ministry also sued six companies – identified only by their initials – for 4.8tn rupiah (£211m) over alleged links to the environmental damages in the Batang Toru ecosystem.

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