Nickel mining for EV batteries threatens ‘Amazon of the seas’

The urgent global demand for metals essential to electric vehicle (EV) batteries is threatening one of Earth’s most biodiverse marine environments.

Stark drone images, shared by environmental campaigners Global Witness with the BBC, appear to show severe deforestation and water pollution in Indonesia’s Raja Ampat archipelago, a region often dubbed the “Amazon of the Seas”.

Global Witness reports a significant increase in nickel mining in Raja Ampat in recent years. Between 2020 and 2024, land used for mining across multiple small islands in the archipelago expanded by 500 hectares, equivalent to about 700 football pitches.

Aerial images from their investigation vividly depict widespread forest loss and sediment runoff polluting waters vital for biodiverse coral reefs.

This ecological damage is a stark example of how the push for critical minerals, necessary for green technologies like EVs, can have devastating environmental consequences. Indonesia currently accounts for over half of the world’s nickel mine production.

In a move welcomed by conservationists, the Indonesian government recently revoked permits for four out of five mining companies operating in Raja Ampat, citing the region’s biodiversity as a “world heritage that must be protected”.

However, concerns remain that this decision could be challenged legally by mining firms, and one company on Gag island, rich in nickel deposits, has been allowed to continue operations.

Conservationists like Dr. Mark Erdmann, who has worked in Raja Ampat for over two decades, expressed immense relief at the government’s decision, calling the area the “global epicentre of marine biodiversity”.

However, the “nickel dilemma” highlights a broader global challenge: balancing economic growth and the transition to green energy with the unavoidable environmental impact of mining.

Environmental campaigner Imam Shofwan from Jatam stressed that while nickel is presented as a climate solution, it’s simultaneously causing deforestation and destroying farmland.

BBC