Indonesia: the future capital Nusantara, a threat to indigenous populations and the ecosystem

Audio 03:35

Model of Nusantara, the future capital of Indonesia.

© AFP/Handout

By: Jelena Tomic Follow

3 mins

According to the most pessimistic forecasts, by 2030, a third of the Indonesian capital will be submerged under water.

The cause: overpopulation (11 million inhabitants), excessive pumping of groundwater which causes soil subsidence, flooding and the inevitable rise in sea level caused by global warming.

In 2019, the decision is made: a new capital will see the light of day 2,000 km away, in Kalimantan, the Indonesian part of the island of Borneo.

But this titanic project arouses many controversies.

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The new capital will be called Nusantara.

Its construction, delayed by the pandemic, should be spread over several stages until 2045. The ambitious government is even considering a move of the executive power as early as 2024. The future "green" capital will be built on the island of Borneo, known to harbor one of the largest rainforests in the world.

The NGO AMAN, the Alliance of Indigenous Peoples of the Archipelago, is sounding the alarm: " 

Nusantara will eventually occupy more than 256,000

hectares of land and an aquatic area of ​​more than 68,000

hectares

 ", says Muhammad Arman , Director of Policy, Law and Human Rights Advocacy.

Our organization counts 21 indigenous groups living in this area.

In total, eleven of these groups, or

20,000 people, are directly affected by the development project for the future capital.

 » 

A disaster for local indigenous communities

This utopian mega-project, of a smart city, which wants to be "zero emissions" and built in the middle of the trees, is however a disaster for the indigenous communities of the province of East Kalimantan.

These populations are already in conflict with the mining and palm oil operators who have swarmed the region in recent years. 

“ 

Combating the invasion of palm oil plantations on their customary lands is a matter of survival for the indigenous people.

They are fighting to recover their lands which have been confiscated by these companies.

They must protest to the local government to encourage it to recognize them and protect their rights

 ,” warns Muhammad Arman.

A pious wish, since their requests for protection, in particular of their land rights, have so far remained a dead letter.

However, the dangers hanging over these populations are very real.

“ 

For indigenous people, customary land is more than a living space.

They are part of their identity.

By losing these lands, they lose absolutely everything!

The construction of the new capital will also cause them to lose their jobs, because they will no longer be able to exercise their traditional profession of agriculture and fishing

 ,” he continues.

Provincial ecosystems damaged

A recent survey by several NGOs, including AMAN, revealed that at least 162 permits for plantation mining, forestry and coal-fired power plants had been granted in the area of ​​the future capital.

Environmentalists are convinced that Nusantara will also damage the province's ecosystems.

An opinion shared by Muhammad Arman.

Balikpapan Bay is included in the project, this will inevitably have an impact on the mangrove ecosystem.

Mangroves cover an area of ​​more than 12,000 hectares.

If this ecosystem is damaged, the populations living there will no longer have access to drinking water and will no longer meet their basic needs.

In addition, the construction of this megaproject will worsen the ecological situation.

Thousands of various operating permits have already been issued to companies.

It will also undoubtedly lead to increasingly frequent flooding in the East Kalimantan region. 

If the concerns of environmental organizations and the defense of human rights prove to be justified, with its pharaonic project, the Indonesian government will only move a problem from one point to another in the archipelago.

For the NGO AMAN, their biggest challenge will be to recognize and protect the indigenous peoples, their habitat, their tradition and their means of subsistence.

But the battle promises to be tough in view of the investments and financial interests of the companies involved in the construction of the new political capital. 

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  • Indonesia

  • Environment

  • Biodiversity