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Forest Rehabilitation of Post-Mining Areas: Mitigating the Ecological and Socio-Economic Impacts of Mining

Summary

Coal mining is a major economic driver of environmental change in Indonesia. Total production has tripled over the last decade, making Indonesia the world’s largest producer of thermal coal. Kalimantan is the largest source of Indonesia’s coal, with millions of hectares of mining concessions having been granted to small, medium, and large-sized companies. Indonesian government regulations require that the mining companies set aside a reclamation guarantee and engage in progressive reclamation and re-vegetation in order to return the environmental, social, economic, and cultural functions of the ex-mined sites. However, for a number of reasons, related to both limitations of technical knowledge and poor government oversight, successful reclamation remains quite rare in the country. Mining is therefore having an increasingly negative impact on the region in terms of deforestation, water and air pollution, flooding, loss of biodiversity, and numerous social conflicts, due to a lack of effective mitigation.

As part of their efforts to address these challenges, ELTI, UNLAM, and JBG have come together to organize an international seminar and field training. The seminar (see www.fahutanunlam.com for additional information), which will be held on September 15 & 16, is intended to bring together experts and practitioners from Indonesia and abroad to provide guidance to mining companies, decision makers, and other stakeholders on how best to achieve the objectives of restoring the ex-mining sites in Kalimantan specifically and Indonesia more generally. The field training, which will be immediately following the seminar, will provide participants with a more grounded and hands on approach to conduct forest rehabilitation in post-mining areas.

Content

SEMINAR

Day 1. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15

  • Keynote speakers:
    • Ministry of Environment and Forestry
    • Prof. Dr. Ir. Gusti M. Hatta. MSc (Former Minister of Environment, Minister of Research & Technology)
  • Panel Discussions: Regulation of Reclamation for Post Mining Areas in Australia, Mitigating the Ecological Impacts of Mining, Mitigating the Socio Economic Impatcs of Mining
  • Paper presentations

Day 2. WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16

  • Field trip to the mine site (PT. Jurong Barutama Greston)
  • Closing

FIELD TRAINING

Day 1. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17

  • Understanding Regulations (Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources)
  • Choosing the correct species of trees and synergizing with nature (Dr. Ishak Yassir of Balitek KSDA-Samboja)
  • Open discussion
  • Field exercise

Day 2. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18

  • Techniques for preparaing quality seedlings for mine rehabilitation and other treatments like Soil Seed Amendment (Dr. Acep Akbar of Forestry Research Agency Banjarbaru)
  • Site Preparation (Riswan of Lambung Mangkurat University)
  • How to remedy mined land (Dr. Yadi Setiadi of Bogor Agriculture Institute)
  • Field exercise

Day 3. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19

  • Proper planting and maintenance (Prof. Yudi Firmanul Arifin of Lambung Mangkurat University)
  • Monitoring and Evaluation (Abdi Fitria of Lambung Mangkurat University)
  • Erosion control and land stablilization (Bambang Joko of Lambung Mangkurat University)
  • Methods for managing void (Mahmud of Lambung Mangkurat University

Day 4.  SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 20

  • Action plans of all participants
  • Evaluation and discussion
  • Closing ceremony