Global demand spurring Indonesia's mining boom comes at a cost for many communities

KABAENA, Indonesia (AP) — The crystal blue waters that once surrounded Kabaena are murky brown now, and the octopi and colorful fish that locals used to catch nearby to eat and sell have fled. The lush seaweed they used to harvest is gone. And parents who grew up swimming happily in the Flores Sea now warn their children to stay out of the water for fear of itchy rashes or skin lesions.

The people of Kabaena — including Indigenous Bajau, a group that has traditionally lived near and relied on the sea — are among what experts estimate are thousands of communities around Indonesia where traditional ways of life have been devastated by the impacts of a rapidly expanding mining industry. Most of the materials mined in Indonesia fuel the international supply chain for stainless steel, electric vehicle batteries and more.

“All residents here have felt the impact,” said Amiruddin, 53, a fisherman who like many Indonesians uses only one name.

With the world's largest known nickel reserves and rich deposits of cobalt, bauxite and other materials, Indonesia has been experiencing a mining boom on demand for stainless steel, electric vehicle batteries and more that are needed for the global energy transition. The island nation has sought to expand its mining and processing capabilities while facing backlash from international and local watchdogs for various environmental concerns.

Across Indonesia, nickel processing plants sometimes sprawl just a few minutes from the sea, and barges ready to carry away nickel ore often dot the water. Some mines operate near schools.

Local communities and the natural environments around these mines can bear the burden of this intense demand. From 2001 to 2020, the world lost nearly 1.4 million hectares (about 3.5 million acres) of trees due to mining, with Indonesia having the highest loss, according to an analysis by the World Resources Institute.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is part of a series of on how tribes and Indigenous communities are coping with and combating climate change.

On Kabaena, over 3,700 hectares (9,140 acres) of forest — including protected forest — were cleared by mining companies between 2001 to 2023, according to data analysis by international environmental organization Mighty Earth. That deforestation has devastated the environment and livelihoods on Kabaena, said Amanda Hurowitz, a senior director at Mighty Earth.

Where fishers could once catch fish to sell or feed their families, the water is now filled with runoff sediment from mining activities and no fish are to be found. Fishers with boats must travel farther, using expensive petrol, and wind up with smaller catches that earn them less money. Those without boats often resort to eating the small shellfish they can find in the murky water around their homes.

“(I would) fish near there by setting a net,” Ilyas, 70, said while pointing in front of his home. “Now it’s far away before (fish) are found.”

Communities on land are experiencing the mines' impact as well: Sugar cane, palm and clove trees cultivated for food and income don't grow as well, with water sources used for crops tainted by mining activities, residents said.

“That’s the effect: The growth of the sugar palm trees will not be as good because of the influence of mining,” said Amal Susanto, 32, a palm sugar farmer in an area of Kabaena where exploration permits have been granted but mining has not yet begun. “I hope no mines around here, because our income will be impacted.”

Since the mines have opened, there's been a spike in residents complaining of itchy skin, sore throats and other health issues. Villagers no longer want to bathe or wash clothes in the water; when they do, they get itchy skin and rashes said Nina, 33, an Indigenous Bajau resident of Kabaena.

Lab results from samples of rivers, sea water, dust and shellfish from Kabaena taken by Satya Bumi, a nonprofit environmental organization based in Indonesia, in July and November showed hazardous levels of nickel, lead and cadmium — common mining byproducts.

Exposure to these metals at the levels seen in the lab samples could lead to cancer, cardiovascular, kidney and other chronic diseases, said Kathrin Schilling, an assistant professor at Columbia University who researches molecular biology and reviewed the lab results.

“If people on this island are using the river water as drinking water — which has higher levels of the metals — and then if they are also eating the shellfish and breathe the air ... you cannot escape basically any of the exposure to those toxic metals,” Schilling told AP.

The impact isn’t limited to Kabaena. Across the sea to the north, a nickel mine near the village of Torobulu pushes up against a tattered soccer field and nearby athletic courts.

The impacts and mining continue despite a March 2024 ruling by Indonesia's constitutional court that small islands such as Kabaena require special protection from abnormally dangerous activities, including mining, as they threaten ecosystems in vulnerable areas.

But Indonesia's government is still issuing mining permits for small islands, said Sayyidatiihayaa Afra, a researcher at Satya Bumi.

Since the constitutional court ruling, forest loss has continued on Kabaena, with 150 hectares (370 acres) cleared in areas approved for mining on the island since April 1, according to data analysis by Mighty Earth. Over half of the forest loss occurred in a concession owned by mining company Tonia Mitra Sejahtera.

Tonia Mitra Sejahtera did not respond to a request for interviews or comment. Mining company Anugrah Harisma Barakah — which caused the most deforestation on Kabaena, according to Satya Bumi — also did not answer the publicly listed phone number when AP made requests for interviews or comment.

Indonesia's Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources did not respond to a request for comment.

Meanwhile, people on Kabaena say they feel helpless.

“What else can we do if the water is like this?” said Nina. "We’re small people — we can’t do anything. We have to surrender.”

Milko reported from Jakarta.

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Murky brown water is visible near nickel mining activities that surround Baliara village on Kabaena Island, Southeast Sulawesi, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Yusuf Wahid)

People walk through Baliara village on Kabaena Island in South Sulawesi, Indonesia, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Yusuf Wahil)

A nickel mining site is visible on Kabaena Island in Southeast Sulawesi, on Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Yusuf Wahil)

Students head to school as a hill that has been mined for nickel ore is visible in the background on Kabaena Island in South Sulawesi, Indonesia, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024,. (AP Photo/Yusuf Wahil)

Barges loaded with nickel ore are anchored off Kabaena Island in South Sulawesi, Indonesia, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Yusuf Wahil)

A nickel processing plant sits in Mapela village on Kabaena Island, Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Yusuf Wahil)

A man walks above murky brown water near nickel mining activities on Kabaena Island in South Sulawesi, Indonesia, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Yusuf Wahil)

Dhany Alfalah, a researcher for Satya Bumi, a nonprofit environmental organization, collects dust samples from a house on Kabaena Island in South Sulawesi, Indonesia, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Yusuf Wahil)

Dhany Alfalah, a researcher with Satya Bumi, a nonprofit environmental organization, shows dust samples collected from a house on Kabaena Island in South Sulawesi, Indonesia, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Yusuf Wahil)

Nina, 33, a member of Bajau Tribe, poses for a photograph on Kabaena Island, in South Sulawesi, Indonesia, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Yusuf Wahil)

Amal Susanto makes palm sugar at his house on Kabaena Island, Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia, Friday, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Yusuf Wahil)

Amal Susanto makes palm sugar at his house on Kabaena Island, Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia, Friday, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Yusuf Wahil)

Amal Susanto collects sap from a palm tree to make palm sugar on Kabaena Island, Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia, Friday, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Yusuf Wahil)

People play soccer as heavy machines operate at a nickel mine in Torobulu, Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Yusuf Wahil)

Fish are laid out in Baliara village on Kabaena Island, Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Yusuf Wahil)

Ilyas, 70, who has been complaining of itchy skin rashes, sits for a photograph at his house on Kabaena Island near nickel mining activities in South Sulawesi, Indonesia, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Yusuf Wahil)

Ilyas, 70, who has been complaining of itchy skin rashes, checks on his dried fish at his house on Kabaena Island near nickel mining activities in South Sulawesi, Indonesia, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Yusuf Wahil)

A nickel mine is visible on top of a hill above a village on Kabaena Island in South Sulawesi, Indonesia, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Yusuf Wahil)

Murky brown water is visible near nickel mining activities that surround Baliara village on Kabaena Island, Southeast Sulawesi, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Yusuf Wahid)

Murky brown water is visible near nickel mining activities that surround Baliara village on Kabaena Island, Southeast Sulawesi, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Yusuf Wahid)

Children play in the water on Kabaena Island in South Sulawesi, Indonesia, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Yusuf Wahil)

Children play in the water on Kabaena Island in South Sulawesi, Indonesia, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Yusuf Wahil)

A boy looks out from the window of his house on Kabaena Island in South Sulawesi, Indonesia, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Yusuf Wahil)

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said he’s dropping — for now — his push to deploy National Guard troops in Chicago, Los Angeles and Portland, Oregon, a move that comes after legal roadblocks held up the effort.

“We will come back, perhaps in a much different and stronger form, when crime begins to soar again - Only a question of time!" he said in a social media post Wednesday.

Governors typically control states' National Guardsmen, and Trump had deployed troops to all three cities against the wishes of state and local Democratic leaders. He said it was necessary as part of a broader crackdown on immigration, crime and protests.

The president has made a crackdown on crime in cities a centerpiece of his second term — and has toyed with the idea of invoking the Insurrection Act to stop his opponents from using the courts to block his plans. He has said he sees his tough-on-crime approach as a winning political issue ahead of next year’s midterm elections.

Troops had already left Los Angeles after the president deployed them earlier this year as part of a broader crackdown on crime and immigration.

In his post, Trump said the troops' presence was responsible for a drop in crime in the three cities, though they were never on the streets in Chicago and Portland as legal challenges played out. When the Chicago deployment was challenged in court, a Justice Department lawyer said the Guard’s mission would be to protect federal properties and government agents in the field, not “solving all of crime in Chicago.”

Portland Mayor Keith Wilson’s office in a statement said the city’s reduction in crime was due to the efforts of local police and public safety programs. Chicago officials echoed the sentiment, saying in a release Tuesday that the city had 416 homicides in 2025 — the fewest since 2014.

Trump’s push to deploy the troops in Democrat-led cities has been met with legal challenges at nearly every turn.

The Supreme Court in December refused to allow the Trump administration to deploy National Guard troops in the Chicago area. The order was not a final ruling but was a significant and rare setback by the high court for the president’s efforts.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker wrote on X Wednesday that Trump “lost in court when Illinois stood up against his attempt to militarize American cities with the National Guard. Now Trump is forced to stand down.”

Hundreds of troops from California and Oregon were deployed to Portland, but a federal judge barred them from going on the streets. A judge permanently blocked the deployment of National Guard troops there in November after a three-day trial.

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek said in a statement Wednesday that her office had not yet received “official notification that the remaining federalized Oregon National Guard troops can return home. They were never lawfully deployed to Portland and there was no need for their presence. If President Trump has finally chosen to follow court orders and demobilize our troops, that’s a big win for Oregonians and for the rule of law.”

Trump's decision to federalize National Guard troops began in Los Angeles in June, when protesters took to the streets in response to a blitz of immigration arrests in the area. He deployed about 4,000 troops and 700 Marines to guard federal buildings and, later, to protest federal agents as they carried out immigration arrests.

The number of troops slowly dwindled until just several hundred were left. They were removed from the streets by Dec. 15 after a lower court ruling that also ordered control to be returned to Gov. Gavin Newsom. But an appeals court had paused the second part of the order, meaning control remained with Trump. In a Tuesday court filing, the Trump administration said it was no longer seeking a pause in that part of the order.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on Wednesday ordered the Trump administration to return control of the National Guard to Newsom.

“About time (Trump) admitted defeat,” Newsom said in a social media post. “We’ve said it from day one: the federal takeover of California’s National Guard is illegal.”

Troops will remain on the ground in several other cities. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in December paused a lower court ruling that had called for an end to the deployment of National Guard troops in Washington, D.C., where they’ve been deployed since August after Trump declared a “crime emergency.”

Trump also ordered the deployment of the Tennessee National Guard to Memphis in September as part of a larger federal task force to combat crime, a move supported by the state’s Republican Gov. Bill Lee and senators. A Tennessee judge blocked the use of the Guard, siding with Democratic state and local officials who sued. However, the judge stayed the decision to block the Guard as the state appeals, allowing the deployment to continue.

In New Orleans, about 350 National Guard troops deployed by Trump arrived in the city's historic French Quarter on Tuesday and are set to stay through Mardi Gras to help with safety. The state's Republican governor and the city's Democratic mayor support the deployment.

Ding reported from Los Angeles. Associated Press reporters John O'Connor in Springfield, Illinois, Becky Bohrer in Juneau, Alaska, Jack Brook in New Orleans and Adrian Sanz in Memphis contributed.

FILE - A protester confronts a line of U.S. National Guard members in the Metropolitan Detention Center of downtown Los Angeles, Sunday, June 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer, File)

FILE - Protesters stand off against California National Guard soldiers at the Federal Building in downtown Los Angeles, during a "No Kings" protest, June 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel, File)

President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Mar-a-Lago, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)