August M
A remote stretch of northern Sumatra is once again at the centre of a high-stakes conservation battle. As global gold prices soar, a planned expansion of Indonesia’s Martabe mine is pushing deeper into the only remaining habitat of the critically endangered Tapanuli orangutan
According to reporting by the Guardian, scientists warn that even small disruptions could hasten the extinction of a great ape lineage millions of years old.
A forest under pressure
Satellite images first captured a thin access road slicing through dense meranti, oak and mahua trees.
That path is expected to grow to 2km, linking to the Tor Ulu Ala pit and unlocking deposits worth billions.
Conservationists say the road network will fracture the Batang Toru ecosystem — the sole home of the Tapanuli orangutan, discovered as a separate species only in 2017 and now occupying a fraction of its former range.
This is absolutely the wrong place to be digging for gold,’ says Amanda Hurowitz of Mighty Earth, which tracks activity around the mine.
The group has documented orangutan nests lying dangerously close to new construction zones launched this autumn by PT Agincourt Resources, a subsidiary of Jardine Matheson, The Guardian reports
Mining firms defend the project
Jardine Matheson, which took over the mine in 2018, argues the expansion is essential to secure an estimated 460,000 additional ounces of gold. At current prices of more than $4,000 an ounce, the new pit could generate nearly $2bn.
“While we understand the concerns of some critics, without the mine … the alternative will be worse,” says PT Agincourt’s vice-president director, Ruli Tanio, who highlights that 3,500 people depend on the operation. He adds: “The notion the mine can kill an orangutan directly has proven to be quite false.”
Scientists counter that indirect harm is just as dangerous. Female orangutans rarely relocate when habitat is lost, increasing the risk of starvation and conflict.
“‘It doesn’t take much – especially if you start killing orangutan females – for the population to go extinct,’ says biological anthropologist Erik Meijaard, The Guardian reports.”
A species running out of space
The Tapanuli orangutan survives in just three main forest blocks, with an isolated cluster recently identified outside Batang Toru.
Hydropower development has already threatened the region, and mine expansion would squeeze populations from yet another direction.
“You cannot say that any great ape species is better with mining than without,” says primatologist Genevieve Campbell.
Meijaard’s conclusion is blunt: “If we really want to protect the species, we have to aim for zero losses.”
Sources: The Guardian.
