The impact of mining and natural resource extraction on Papuan society continues to this day. In fact, the government has openly made Papua’s forests a food area capable of producing plant crops. Of course this will have an impact on many things.
The Impact of Mining and Natural Resource Extraction on Papuan Society
The adverse effects of continuous mining and extraction of natural resources can disrupt several sectors in the Papua region.
In this case, the government must take firm steps to correct it so that the error does not worsen. Then, what are these impacts?
1. Extreme Climate Change
The first impact is extreme climate change. The impacts of it on the Pacific Islands make it imperative to protect Papua’s rainforests from industrial logging and deforestation.
This conference is motivated by the fact that the Pacific region is at the forefront of the impact of climate change on humanity.
The conference is also worried about the Indonesian government and international corporations from other countries who have applied for 50 coal mining permits to increase investment in petroleum.
2. Environmental Destruction
The existence of mining and exploitation of natural resources on a large scale also creates a large amount of waste, thus endangering the environment in Papua.
Of course this is a shared responsibility between the government and business builders who continue to extract Papua’s natural resources.
In fact, half of the island of Papua, especially West Papua, is facing forest loss as a result of legal and illegal trade so quickly.
All of that has a big impact on the environment in the mountains to the coast which also has an impact on people’s lives.
3. Damage to Natural Resources
The continual depletion of natural resources is the overall effect. The marginalization of indigenous
Papuans, projects with a top-down approach decided from the outside, and frequently accompanied by threats or the use of force to force implementation are the red lines in this resource exploitation.
The 2001 awarding of Papua special autonomy status gave Papuan politicians more room to engage in decisions involving Papuan resources and more chances to profit from profits.
In actuality, common people continue to lack the means to stop the appropriation of the resources and land that support their way of life.
4. The Human Rights of the Papuan People are Threatened
The most ambitious natural resource development strategy for Papua is currently the Merauke Integrated Food and Energy Estate (MIFEE) initiative.
The plan calls for turning a sizable portion of land, including forests, into plantations where a range of crops for food, energy, and other productive crops will be grown.
Local community groups, as well as regional, national, and international NGOs, have expressed serious concerns about the potential harm that this megaproject will do to indigenous peoples,
Their customary lands, natural resources, and culture. They have also expressed concern about the wider political impact,
The impact on human rights, sociology, and culture, as well as the environment for all of Papua.
From the information above, we can know the crisis conditions in Papua,
Because the impact of mining and natural resource extraction on Papuan society can have a broad impact on Indonesian society as a whole.
Therefore, society and the government must work together in tackling this problem.
