How Sand Mining in the Riau Islands Threatens Small Islands, Coral Reefs, and National Security
The world’s imagination has long been captured by the untouched splendor of Raja Ampat—a global emblem of marine biodiversity and ecological abundance. Yet far from these turquoise waters, a quieter and arguably more insidious tragedy is unfolding. Hundreds of kilometers to the west, in Indonesia’s strategically vital Riau Islands Province (Kepulauan Riau, Kepri), small islands are being methodically stripped down to their geological bones.
This is not merely an environmental scandal. It is a crisis that cuts to the heart of Indonesia’s legal sovereignty, climate resilience, and the economic survival of its coastal communities. Driven largely by the extraction of silica sand—also known as quartz sand—entire islands are being dismantled in the pursuit of short-term industrial gain. Viral images of once-verdant landmasses reduced to rust-red scars have exposed what environmental groups describe as a pattern of illegal and legally questionable mining. At stake is more than biodiversity. It is the physical integrity of the nation itself.
Islands on the Front Line
The Riau Islands form a sprawling maritime frontier, positioned near one of the world’s busiest international shipping lanes. Comprising hundreds of small islands, the province functions not only as a geographic buffer but also as an ecological and economic lifeline. These islands protect coastlines from erosion, support coral reefs and seagrass beds, and sustain fishing communities whose livelihoods are intimately tied to the sea.
Today, that balance is unraveling. The epicenter of the crisis lies in the aggressive issuance and continuation of mining permits for silica sand—a material essential to glassmaking, electronics, and construction. Extraction on small islands typically involves clearing forests and excavating massive volumes of sand, leaving behind exposed soil and irreversible damage. Islands such as Pulau Propos and Pulau Kas now stand as stark evidence of this destruction.
According to the Mining Advocacy Network (Jaringan Advokasi Tambang, Jatam), at least 218 Mining Business Permits (IUPs) are currently active across 34 small islands nationwide, covering a total concession area exceeding 274,549 hectares. In Kepri alone, islands including Pulau Sebangka, Pulau Subi Besar, and Pulau Karimun Besar are burdened with overlapping concessions, transforming ecological assets into industrial quarries.
The Legal Battleground: A Constitutional Conflict
At the core of this crisis lies a profound legal contradiction. Indonesia’s Law Number 27 of 2007 on the Management of Coastal Areas and Small Islands explicitly prohibits mining activities on small islands due to their ecological fragility. This prohibition was unequivocally reaffirmed by the Constitutional Court (Mahkamah Konstitusi) through Ruling Number 35/PUU-XXI/2023, issued on 21 March 2024. In principle, the ruling should have triggered an immediate and unconditional halt to mining operations on small islands. In practice, little has changed.
Environmental organizations, including Jatam, have described the continued issuance and extension of mining permits as nothing less than “legal defiance.” Alfarhat Kasman, a Jatam campaigner, has publicly questioned the government’s stance: Why are permits still being issued when the legal framework is unambiguous? The persistence of mining after a definitive constitutional ruling suggests that extractive interests continue to outweigh both the rule of law and the long-term security of Indonesia’s territory.
From Green to Red
Public awareness of the crisis reached a tipping point in December 2025, when aerial photographs and videos began circulating widely on social media. Shared prominently by the X account @beruanggrizzly7 on 15 December 2025, the footage showed islands like Pulau Propos and Pulau Kas stripped bare—pockmarked with excavation pits and stained red against the surrounding blue sea.
The images provoked national outrage and forced official scrutiny. Following an inspection (sidak) of Pulau Citlim, Ahmad Aris, Director of Coastal and Small Islands at the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (KKP), confirmed the severity of the damage. Pulau Citlim, categorized as a very small island with only 2,200 hectares of land, had been visibly scarred by sand mining.
Crucially, Aris revealed that mining operators had failed to secure mandatory recommendations from the KKP—a legal prerequisite for any utilization of small islands. In regulatory terms, the operations were effectively illegal. When viewed collectively—from permits quietly issued as early as 2010, to viral exposure in late 2025, followed by official acknowledgment of violations—the pattern points to a systemic collapse in oversight and enforcement.
The Sedimentation Scourge
The most immediate consequence of small-island mining is ecological collapse—particularly beneath the waterline. The removal of forest cover and topsoil generates vast quantities of sediment. During heavy rainfall, this red slurry is washed directly into surrounding waters, triggering what officials have described as a sedimentation scourge.
KKP inspections have documented sediment blanketing coral reefs and seagrass meadows around affected islands. Coral reefs, often called the rainforests of the sea, depend on clear, sunlit waters. When smothered by sediment, they suffocate and die—along with the marine species they support.
The economic implications are severe. As fish stocks decline, so too does the income of local fishing communities. Alfarhat Kasman of Jatam has emphasized that sedimentation on reefs will inevitably erode fishermen’s livelihoods. Beyond this immediate damage lies a longer-term existential threat: the physical destabilization of small islands. With their natural structures weakened, islands become far more vulnerable to coastal abrasion and rising sea levels. Jatam has warned that continued mining could ultimately lead to the submergence of entire islands—turning an environmental crisis into a matter of national survival.
The Economics of Erasure
The justification for this destruction rests on an economic argument that collapses under scrutiny. Silica sand is a low-value bulk commodity. Recent market data places the average export price at approximately USD 14 per metric ton—equivalent to around SGD 19.4 per ton.
For less than SGD 20, Indonesia is sacrificing irreplaceable ecosystems, undermining coastal economies, and exposing itself to geopolitical risk. Environmental groups argue that this represents a catastrophic misallocation of national resources. Greenpeace Indonesia, citing research presented by campaigner Iqbal Damanik, has noted that a transition away from extractive industries toward a green economy could nearly double Indonesia’s GDP within a decade and generate up to 19 million jobs.
Instead, current policies lock regions like Riau Islands into a low-return, high-risk development model—one that erodes natural capital faster than it creates economic value.
Sovereignty at Risk
The implications extend beyond economics and ecology. The Riau Islands sit at Indonesia’s maritime frontier, where geography and sovereignty are inseparable. Small islands function as physical markers of statehood, anchoring maritime boundaries and exclusive economic zones.
Parid Ridwanuddin, Director of Marine Affairs at Auriga Nusantara, has warned that the destruction of these islands directly undermines Indonesia’s territorial claims. When an island is diminished—or disappears altogether—so too does the legal basis for surrounding maritime rights. Combined with climate-driven sea-level rise, mining accelerates the risk of territorial erosion and future disputes with neighboring states.
In this context, the failure to enforce environmental law is also a failure to defend national sovereignty. The sand being extracted is not merely a commodity; it is the literal ground upon which Indonesia’s borders rest.
The crisis unfolding in the Riau Islands is a warning not only for Indonesia, but for Southeast Asia and the global community. It exposes the devastating consequences of allowing low-value extraction to override constitutional law, ecological science, and long-term national interest. As part of the Coral Triangle, these islands represent biodiversity of global significance—and natural defenses against climate change that cannot be rebuilt once destroyed.
For international stakeholders, the events in Kepri demand closer scrutiny of supply chains that depend on silica sand, from electronics to construction. Demand does not exist in a vacuum; it fuels decisions made on distant shores. Pressure must be applied for Indonesia to enforce its own laws, honor the Constitutional Court’s ruling, and pivot toward high-value, sustainable development.
The choice is stark. The Riau Islands can become a cautionary tale of national self-sabotage—sacrificed for a paltry profit—or they can stand as evidence that a nation chose to defend its land, its people, and its sovereignty. The moment for decisive action is narrowing. To follow ongoing investigations, analysis, and reporting on this issue and others shaping Indonesia’s future, readers are encouraged to visit our homepage.
Sources:
[1] Tak Hanya Raja Ampat, Pulau Kecil di Kepri Juga Terancam Tambang
[2] Viral! Penampakan Pulau-Pulau Kecil di Kepri Rusak Diduga Akibat Tambang Ilegal
[3] Senasib Raja Ampat, Tambang Hancurkan Pulau Kecil di Kepri
[4] Ada Aturan Larangan Aktivitas Tambang di Pesisir dan Pulau Kecil, Tapi Pemerintah Tetap Terbitkan Izin di Raja Ampat
[5] LinkedIn
Keywords: Indonesia Small Islands Mining, Riau Islands Sand Mining, Silica Sand Environmental Damage, Illegal Mining Coastal Areas, Indonesia Maritime Sovereignty Threat, Constitutional Court Mining Ruling, Coral Reef Sedimentation Impact, Coastal Communities Livelihood Crisis, Small Island Climate Risk, Extractive Industries Indonesia Coast, Mining Permits Legal Conflict, Indonesia Environmental Law Violation, Kepri Island Mining Crisis, Sand Mining Economic Cost, Indonesia Island Ecosystem Destruction
