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Biodiversity

Javan langur (Trachypithecus auratus), a vulnerable primate on the verge of extinction, is endemic to the Tujuh Bukit Gold Mine. [Photo: Setiawan/BSI]
Merdeka understands the impact of mining on the environment. Therefore, we protect, conserve, monitor and promote sustainable management of biodiversity in the vicinity of our mining operations by involving independent parties.

The use of forest areas by mining operations will be followed by reclamation and reforestation of forest areas with clear land-use targets, namely restoring the function of the original forest area, according to government regulations, which are stated in the Minister of Environment and Forestry Regulation Number 23 of 2021 concerning the Implementation of Rehabilitation. Forest and Land. The land rehabilitation program includes replanting activities with pioneer, local, and multipurpose tree species, and monitoring their progress every six months. The plans for reclamation and reforestation of forest areas by each Merdeka operation are presented, approved, and reported in the Annual Work Plan and Budget (RKAB).

The Brontok Eagle in the Tumpang Pitu Forest, Banyuwangi, East Java, Indonesia. [Photo: Setiawan/BSI]
The Tujuh Bukit Gold Mine is located in a forest area that has a fairly high level of biodiversity. Therefore, PT Bumi Suksesindo (BSI), a subsidiary of Merdeka which manages the Tujuh Bukit Gold Mine, has taken various safeguards as follows.

  • Minimize the area of ​​forest cleared according to operational needs.
  • Limiting disturbance to plants in the area required for mining operations.
  • Prohibit the creation of fires in open areas or the forest for all employees.
  • Save seeds and shoots for use in reclamation.
  • Handling wildlife incidents.
  • Prohibit hunting of wild animals.
  • Carry out habitat enrichment by planting fodder trees for wildlife in the area reclamation.

Most of the mining area still functions as a conservation forest as the Tujuh Bukit Gold Mine only cleared the required area. Based on the initial survey to the routine monitoring of the ecology of the flora, the condition of the forest is considered good.

In addition, BSI conducts flora monitoring every six months in five locations representing the habitat of 129 plant species. Based on observations, there are no species that are protected by the government and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Around the area of the Tujuh Bukit Gold Mine, based on the East Java Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) Survey, it was recorded that there were more than 175 species of terrestrial wildlife consisting of 102 species of birds, 29 species of mammals, 30 species of reptiles and 9 species of amphibians. Of the total types of wild animals that exist, 30 species are protected by the government; four of them are endangered species according to the IUCN. The presence of bird species such as the Javan eagle (Nisaetus bartelsi), the green peacock (Pavo muticus), and the hornbill group (Bucerotidae) are important records of their role as environmental indicators.

The Tujuh Bukit Gold Mine is gradually rehabilitating disturbed areas so that the ecosystem can recover faster, since the start of production in 2017. In 2021, BSI will rehabilitate an area of 1.77 hectares, following the target of the second phase of PT Bumi Suksesindo’s Reclamation Plan (period 2020-2024) which was approved by the government. The total land rehabilitated by BSI from 2016–2021 reached 63.35 ha.

Implementation of rehabilitation in 2021 in the form of planting 7,625 tree seedlings within the Tujuh Bukit Gold Mine area, and the planting of 300 tree seedlings outside the mining area which was donated to the Banyuwangi Regency Government to support the “Oxygen Alms” program. A total of 25,854 tree seedlings have been donated by PT Bumi Suksesindo to various parties from 2019–2021.

As the IPPKH holder for the Tujuh Bukit Gold Mine location, BSI also must submit compensation land (Lakom) in the form of clear and clean and has been reforested. Because BSI operates in Banyuwangi, East Java, it is required to provide and submit compensation land at least twice the size of the forest area used; This rule arises because the forest area in East Java province is less than thirty percent of the total land area. BSI operations use a forest area of 992 hectares, so the Lakom that must be submitted in stages is 1,984 hectares. BSI has officially handed over compensation land from Bondowoso and Sukabumi covering an area of 1,173.24 hectares—this figure is the largest compensation land ever handed over by the private sector to the government. The plan is that the remaining land that is BSI’s obligation will be completed in 2022.

Cocomesh or coconut coir nets are used to hold water and become a medium for plant growth on the slopes of the Wetar Copper Mine operation area. [Photo: Dino Musida/BKP-BTR]
Wetar Copper Mine location is in Southwest Maluku Regency, Maluku Province, east of the Wallace line which has similar ecosystems to parts of Australia. Based on the monitoring, 15 bird species were found in the area around the Wetar Copper Mine. There are also recorded 19 species of fauna that are protected by the government and are categorized as endangered according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

The Wetar Copper Mine monitors aquatic biota at 22 points, from upstream, downstream, coastal, to around river mouths. Monitoring is carried out by Pattimura University every six months. As with the monitoring of aquatic biota, the observation of vegetation in forest areas is also carried out following the AMDAL and carried out by a third party.

The rehabilitation and revegetation at the Wetar Copper Mine were carried out in the South Partolang area, especially in the Embankment Sediment Pond and also the South Wall area. Rehabilitation and revegetation have also been carried out at the Kali Kuning Waste Disposal Site. The total rehabilitation and revegetation in 2021 is 8.15 ha, wider than the planned 5.28 ha. The number of seeds planted in 2021 also more than doubled, namely 4,072 seedlings, compared to 1,987 seedlings in 2020.

Sustainability Report

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