Indonesia revokes 28 permits after Batang Toru floods hit rare Tapanuli orangutans

Indonesia has moved to hold companies operating in the Batang Toru ecosystem to account after November 2024 floods and landslides that investigators say killed up to 11% of the world’s Tapanuli orangutan population and more than 1,100 people. Over the past week President Prabowo Subianto announced measures targeting extractive operations in the area.

On Tuesday the government said it would revoke the permits of 28 companies, halting operations that included PT Agincourt Resources, operator of the Martabe goldmine, and PT North Sumatera Hydro Energy, developer of a large hydropower project along the Batang Toru River; many of the other permits related to timber harvesting and oil palm.

The decision follows an investigation by the country’s Forest Area Regulation Task Force, and the environment ministry has also sued six companies, identified only by initials, for 4.8tn rupiah (£211m) over alleged damages spanning 2,500 hectares in the region’s watersheds. PT Agincourt Resources said it had learned of the permit revocation from media reports and was following up with regulators, adding it respects government decisions and maintains its rights under applicable regulations; operations at the mine have been paused since 6 December.

Investigators had spent weeks searching for evidence that companies may have damaged the Batang Toru and Garoga watersheds before the disaster, which washed mud and logs into villages.

Key Topics

World, Tapanuli Orangutan, Batang Toru, North Sumatra, Prabowo Subianto, Pt Agincourt Resources