Indonesia is becoming a key player in the global clean energy transition. It produces more than half of the world’s nickel, a vital mineral for electric vehicle batteries. In 2024, exports of nickel were valued at an estimated US$38–40 billion, and the number of nickel smelters had expanded from two in 2016 to over sixty. Demand for nickel is forecast to grow 60% by 2040, which will further expand Indonesia’s share. However, this speedy growth has its price.
Across Sulawesi, Kalimantan, Papua, Sumatra, and the Moluccas, Indigenous (adat) lands are being cleared for nickel mining, palm oil plantations, and other large development projects. The Land Matrix noted that Indonesia is among the top countries for foreign investments in large-scale land acquisition. These are projects that provide jobs and investment. However, many communities claim to have lost their land without just compensation. Meanwhile, President Prabowo Subianto has expanded military involvement in forest governance pushing for more palm oil production. He dismissed the deforestation concerns, saying, “We don’t need to be afraid of... deforestation, right?
Human Rights Watch reported on the communities losing their land to nickel projects. In Tapunggaya, Southeast Sulawesi, villagers reported that seven-year leases were viewed as permanent sales. Near the 5,500-hectare Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park (IMIP), residents reported losing access to their land without compensation. Families reported that they had been forcibly displaced on Obi Island. In addition, losses due to the environment are increasing. According to government data, 216,000 hectares of deforestation took place in 2024, but Auriga Nusantara estimated the figure was more than 260,000 hectares. The loss of forest occurred in 2025 at 433,751 hectares, an increase of 66 percent from 2024. Around 71% of deforestation was in state-managed forests. Meanwhile, Climate Action Tracker keeps Indonesia’s climate policies at the “Critically Insufficient” level. Those who protest such projects are subject to legal measures.
In Human Rights Watch’s report “Grabbed Land, Silenced Justice: The Persecution of Environmentalists and Indigenous Leaders in Indonesia,” the report examined more than 50 land-rights cases between 2015 and 2025, selecting 15 major cases from across Indonesia. The research included 69 interviews with Indigenous leaders, villagers, activists, lawyers, academics, and government officials. It found that criminal charges and Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) are increasingly used against people defending their land. One of the best-known cases is that of James Watt, an Indigenous Dayak farmer from Central Kalimantan. He was sentenced to 10 months in prison after challenging a palm oil company’s claim over customary land. On reflection, he said: “They stole our land, they clamped down on the ones who wanted justice. The injustice is obvious. This is not a single incident. In 2025, Auriga Nusantara documented 33 threats and criminalization incidents involving 198 people against environmental defenders. Since 2014, at least 1,131 people faced criminal cases for defending their land rights. To this end, Amnesty International Indonesia documented 54 attacks against 104 human rights defenders in the first half of 2025.
Indonesia is also a signatory to the Paris Agreement and the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forests and Land Use in 2021, pledging to end and reverse forest loss by 2030. It also, in 2022, voted to declare a clean and healthy environment as a universal human right at the UN. In July 2025 the International Court of Justice ruled that the state is responsible for addressing climate change and ensuring human rights are respected. The gap between Indonesia’s international commitments and realities on the ground is reality to be seen in these commitments.