Samarinda, IDN Times – The call for a moratorium on mining permits is once again gaining traction, this time emerging from Kalimantan—long regarded as the heart of Indonesia’s extractive industries, from oil and gas to coal, bauxite, and other minerals. Despite the sector’s significant contribution to state revenue, Kalimantan is now confronting an escalating ecological crisis that is directly affecting local communities.
The demand surfaced prominently during a media discussion titled “The Urgency of a Mining Permit Moratorium: Strengthening Mineral and Coal Governance and Addressing Illegal Mining in Kalimantan,” organized by the Publish What You Pay (PWYP) Indonesia Regional Kalimantan Coalition in Pontianak, West Kalimantan, on November 28, 2025.
1. Mining benefits only a privileged few
Civil society group Gemawan West Kalimantan argued that mining activities disproportionately benefit a small number of actors while leaving communities to bear the environmental costs.
“Local communities and Indigenous peoples receive little to no meaningful benefit. Instead, they are the ones suffering ecological damage. The ongoing environmental crisis in West Kalimantan should be a clear signal for the government to impose a moratorium immediately,” said Arniyanti, Head of Gemawan’s Training and Learning Centre (TLC).
She stressed that a moratorium is needed to create space for a comprehensive evaluation of mining governance and to ensure ecological sustainability.
2. Government seen as too focused on issuing permits
WALHI West Kalimantan criticized the government for prioritizing the issuance of mining permits while overlooking the survival of Indigenous communities. According to Andre Illu, Head of WALHI’s Community Governance Division, the state treats land merely as “space” for investment rather than as a living environment on which communities depend.
“The government has failed to establish fair and just spatial planning. A moratorium may not solve everything, but it offers room to reorganize governance and protect communities,” he said.
3. Abandoned mine pits in East Kalimantan have claimed lives
In East Kalimantan, advocacy group Pokja 30 highlighted two significant issues: poor implementation of mine reclamation and limited public access to information.
Coordinator Buyung Marajo stated that many companies fail to carry out mandated reclamation, leaving abandoned mine pits that have claimed lives, many of them children.
“Government oversight is weak. Reclamation is costly, and companies avoid it. Mining permits are excessively issued, consuming land and displacing people, while promises of community welfare remain unfulfilled,” he said.
Buyung also criticized the restrictive and bureaucratic procedures for accessing mining information.
“Enough with the constant issuance of mining permits. It’s time for a moratorium. Those who violate regulations must face firm sanctions,” he stressed.
4. Mining’s impact on biodiversity loss
PADI Indonesia in East Kalimantan highlighted the severe impacts of mining on biodiversity and Indigenous livelihoods. East Kalimantan holds 38 percent of Indonesia’s coal reserves and 1.5 million hectares of mining concessions—29 percent of which overlap with forest ecosystems, including primary forests.
According to Among, Coordinator of PADI Indonesia Kaltim, mining activities have destroyed sources of livelihood such as farming and hunting, triggered water scarcity, escalated human-wildlife conflict, and contributed to the criminalization of Indigenous people defending their customary lands.
“Environmental destruction is erasing the living space of Indigenous communities. Yet they are the ones criminalized when they defend their territories,” he said.
5. Calls for a moratorium are emerging across Indonesia
PWYP Indonesia noted that demands for a moratorium are rising across Sumatra, Java, Nusa Tenggara, Sulawesi, North Maluku, and Papua. The concerns are consistent everywhere: excessive licensing, weak oversight, and worsening ecological degradation.
“A moratorium is an urgent necessity. Environmental recovery cannot keep up with the pace of permit issuance. Oversight and law enforcement remain weak, and the result is ongoing ecological destruction that harms communities,” said PWYP Indonesia researcher Ariyansah NK.