“Green-Rated” Destruction: Mining Expansion Threatens Tapanuli Orangutan Habitat

 Map of Martabe gold field, Sumatra, Indonesia

Map of Martabe gold field, Sumatra, Indonesia, showing the location of the 10 alunite samples with red diamonds.
Source: Muston, J., Forster, M., Alderton, C., & Lister, G. (2020). Direct dating of overprinting fluid systems in the Martabe epithermal gold deposit using highly retentive alunite. Geochronology, 2(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-2-1-2020


The Batang Toru Forest in North Sumatra is the only habitat of the critically endangered Tapanuli orangutan (Pongo tapanuliensis), with fewer than 800 individuals left. Yet, Agincourt Resources, a subsidiary of Jardine Matheson, plans to expand the Martabe gold mine into this vital ecosystem—clearing over 580 hectares for infrastructure (Jong, 2025).

Despite this, the company received a “green” environmental rating from Indonesia’s Ministry of Environment and Forestry, a label raising concerns about greenwashing—the practice of presenting harmful development as environmentally responsible (Aizawa & Cha, 2020). When the last habitat of a species is deemed expendable under a “sustainable” label, it calls into question the rigor and transparency of such assessments.

The Batang Toru ecosystem also supports other threatened species, like the siamang gibbon and Sumatran tiger, making it one of Southeast Asia’s most biodiverse forests (Wich et al., 2016; IUCN, 2023). Fragmentation here isn’t just a local issue—it’s a global conservation concern.

This case underscores the growing concern around greenwashing in the context of conservation—when environmentally harmful practices are presented as sustainable or eco-friendly. As conservation efforts depend on transparency and accountability, there’s a clear need to critically examine how environmental compliance is assessed and communicated.


References
Aizawa, M., & Cha, H. (2020). Greenwashing in Indonesia: A growing threat to environmental accountability. Environmental Law Review, 22(3), 190–204.

IUCN Red List. (2023). Pongo tapanuliensis. https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/120588639/123919291

Jong, H. N. (2025, March 19). Global outcry as petitioners demand no mining expansion in orangutan habitat. Mongabay. https://news.mongabay.com/2025/03/global-outcry-as-petitioners-demand-no-mining-expansion-in-orangutan-habitat/

Wich, S. A., Riswan, A., & Marshall, A. J. (2016). Orangutans: Geographic variation in behavioral ecology and conservation. Oxford University Press.


Comments

  1. Sri VenkatesanApril 20, 2025 at 11:15 AM

    Greenwashing is an interesting concept, especially how it was used to manipulate the carbon crediting system. How do you think we could combat this?

    ReplyDelete

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