CORE Indonesia: Regulating Illegal Mining Safeguards Critical Mineral Supply

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Muhammad Faisal, Executive Director of CORE Indonesia, views the regulation of illegal mining as key to maintaining the supply of critical minerals, ensuring that the downstreaming agenda runs optimally to drive national industrialisation.

“Regulating and securing the supply of critical minerals, reserves, and utilising them for the national downstreaming agenda remains a crucial task to promote industrialisation, as well as to enhance the economy and public welfare,” Faisal stated in a comment received in Jakarta on Monday.

According to him, critical minerals are non-renewable resources that need to be managed strategically to avoid depletion without maximising economic benefits.

Countries that understand the importance of critical minerals tend to preserve their reserves to support long-term industrialisation, particularly in high-tech manufacturing sectors.

“If we want to advance in the global supply chain, we need to safeguard domestic supplies and utilise them for downstreaming to add value,” he said.

He assesses that global dynamics are also intensifying competition for access to critical minerals, including potential pressures on resource-owning countries to open direct access to raw materials.

“If we are not careful, there is a risk that external parties will demand full access to our critical minerals. This could conflict with the downstreaming policy if raw materials are taken directly without processing domestically,” he stated.

The regulation of illegal mining is seen as an important part in maintaining the balance between the utilisation of natural resources and strengthening national industrialisation.

By ensuring that the supply of strategic minerals remains controlled and adds value domestically, the government is expected to enhance the mining sector’s contribution to economic growth while preserving environmental sustainability.

The government continues to strengthen the regulation of illegal mining through the Forest Area Regulation Task Force (Satgas PKH) or Satgas Halilintar until 2025 to early 2026.

During that period, Satgas Halilintar has reclaimed nearly 10,000 hectares of mining land from more than 100 companies suspected of conducting activities without permits in forest areas. The identified commodities include coal, nickel, gold, quartz sand, and limestone, spread across regions such as Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Sumatra, and North Maluku.