Wawonii spans about 867 square kilometers and is home to 43,545 people and endemic species—well below the ecological threshold to absorb industrial nickel operations. Locals report damage since late 2019: destroyed farms, drying clean-water sources, and turbid coastal waters, with some defenders facing legal action for protecting their land.
Residents of Wawonii in Southeast Sulawesi are celebrating after Indonesia’s Supreme Court denied the petitions for judicial review (peninjauan kembali/PK) filed by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK) and PT Gema Kreasi Perdana (GKP). The decision closes a long legal battle to defend the small island’s land and seas from nickel mining that communities have considered a threat to their safety and ecological future. Advocacy groups say the ruling sets an important precedent, reaffirming protections for small islands under Law No. 1/2014 and sustainability principles strengthened by earlier Constitutional Court decisions. The justices underscored that investment cannot come at the expense of public safety and ecology—an ethical baseline long sidelined in national mining practice.
RELEVANT SUSTAINABLE GOALS
Court decision strengthens prior findings and revocation of forest-use permit
The Supreme Court’s PK ruling (No. 83 PK/TUN/TF/2025) reinforces its earlier cassation decision (No. 403 K/TUN/TF/2024) that annulled the company’s forest-use permit. Following the cassation, the Ministry of Forestry issued Decree No. 264 (19 May 2025) revoking SK No. 576/Menhut-II/2014, which had granted GKP an IPPKH (forest-area borrow-use permit) for nickel operations and supporting facilities over 707.10 hectares in Konawe Islands. The court framed a clear principle: legal certainty for investment cannot override the safety of people, ecosystems, and life on a small island.
Citing the Supreme Court’s decision, environmental organizations are urging the government to revoke all mining licenses on small islands—226 IUP across 477 islands—and to pursue alleged environmental crimes arising from destructive extraction. Coalitions argue consistent enforcement is necessary to prevent similar damage elsewhere and to align policy with constitutional guarantees to a dignified livelihood.
On the ground in Wawonii: residents report continued activity despite permit revocation
Even as the ruling reverberated, residents from four villages in Southeast Wawonii reported that GKP’s activities continued. Community members documented excavators, bulldozers, and a dump truck operating in a forest area where the IPPKH has been revoked. A company employee claimed to hold a recommendation to proceed but, when asked, could not present it to residents. Locals say GKP was given six months after the IPPKH revocation to reclaim the site, remove movable assets, and hand over land to the Southeast Sulawesi Forestry Service; they allege those obligations were not fulfilled. In response, residents blocked access roads, calling the operations illegal in light of the revoked permit and court decisions.
Advocacy coalition TAPaK (involving JATAM, YLBHI, WALHI, KIARA, and Trend Asia) argues nickel mining on Wawonii has contradicted national law from the start. Law No. 1/2014, Article 23(2), prioritizes the use of small islands for conservation, education, tourism, and fisheries—mining is not on the list. Article 35(k) prohibits mineral extraction that causes pollution or environmental damage in coastal and small-island zones. The Constitutional Court’s Decision No. 35/PUU-X/2012 further clarifies that small islands warrant special protection incompatible with large-scale mining.
Wawonii spans about 867 square kilometers and is home to 43,545 people and endemic species—well below the ecological threshold to absorb industrial nickel operations. Locals report damage since late 2019: destroyed farms, drying clean-water sources, and turbid coastal waters, with some defenders facing legal action for protecting their land.
Community demands: reclamation, restoration, accountability
In the wake of the Supreme Court’s ruling, Wawonii residents demand:
- Completion of land reclamation, full environmental restoration, and measures to address social impacts;
- Return of agricultural land to communities;
- Investigation of GKP, and cessation of all company activities on the island;
- Revocation of all mining permits (IUP) on Wawonii and other small islands nationwide.
Residents warn that unreclaimed mine pits pose future disaster risks and urge the company to repair ecological damage “as before”—even if some losses may now be irreversible.
For legal advocates (including YLBHI and TAPaK), the victory is more than a court win; it affirms the state’s obligation to protect the living space of small-island communities as part of basic human rights and the rule of law. They say the case should prompt the government to re-examine downstream and energy-transition policies where mining proceeds without justice for affected communities. Data from the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries show the breadth of exposure: 226 IUP active in 477 small islands across 21 districts/cities.
The Supreme Court ruling gives new momentum to a policy shift in which ecological protection is no longer subordinated to investment. For Wawonii, residents want the decision implemented effectively, site obligations enforced, and long-term recovery initiated. Nationally, advocates see the judgment as a platform for withdrawing small-island mining, prosecuting environmental violations, and centering community rights in any future resource decisions.
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