How rare orangutans are endangered by a UK-owned gold mine

The beautiful Tapanuli orangutan is the world’s most endangered species of orangutan. It’s also the rarest of all the great apes. There are fewer than 800 left, perhaps even as little as 560. And now, due to the corporate greed of a UK-based multinational company, these precious animals – and the forest they depend on – are at serious risk of extinction. 

Why’s Indonesian rainforest so important?

The Tapanuli orangutan lives exclusively in the Batang Toru forest, which is in North Sumatra, Indonesia. It’s one of Indonesia’s last jungles and one of the most biodiverse areas on our planet – a lusciously dense rainforest habitat teeming with flora and fauna, including the endangered Sumatran tiger and Malay tapir.

The forest is also home to local people, who rely on it for their livelihoods such as farming, fishing, hunting and gathering. Some of these communities have lived in the rainforest for generations through a system of traditional land ownership.

But the forest and all who live there are threatened by a UK-owned gold mining operation. It’s already destroyed vast swathes of land, and now the company wants to expand the mine even further.

How’s the gold mine impacting people and planet?

Mining for gold shouldn’t be more precious than the world's rarest orangutan or one of Indonesia's last remaining rainforests. But according to UK-based conglomerate Jardine Matheson, it is.

Its subsidiary, PT Agincourt, is the company running the Martabe gold mine. The mine has already cleared over 2,000 hectares of forest – equivalent to around 2,800 football pitches – which would have once been the orangutan’s habitat.

What’s more, it’s polluted the waterways that local communities rely on. Dumped mining waste such as sediment poses a major threat to the 5 main rivers originating in Batang Toru forest. These supply 100,000 people with water downstream. Rice farmers are having to deal with polluted water from the mining works, and fish populations have fallen, making it hard for fish farmers to make a living.

If all that wasn’t enough, the gold mine is also in an area that’s vulnerable to erosion and landslides. And it sits right on top of fault lines that have seen major earthquakes. This means digging for gold increases the risk of yet more landslides and threatens the safety of the people and animals living nearby.

In January 2024 PT Agincourt announced disastrous plans to expand the mine even further in pursuit of more gold. In August the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s ape task force warned that any further expansion into the orangutan’s territory threatens its extinction. But the company is ploughing ahead regardless. It’s exploring deeper into the forest and looking to expand into the area with the highest population of orangutans.

How are local people campaigning against the mine?

PT Agincourt failed to properly consult with communities before mining gold on their land. It took over community land crucial to people’s livelihoods and ignored their traditional landholdings. Local people have been protesting against the deforestation, environmental damage, river pollution and impacts on their lives caused by the gold mine, but so far their protests have been ignored by the company.

Our sister organisation WALHI/ Friends of the Earth Indonesia has brought the campaign against the mine to the UK, demonstrating at Jardine Matheson’s London office and outside its prestigious luxury hotel, the Mandarin Oriental. 

What are we calling for and how can you help?

We’re acting alongside impacted communities and our Indonesian allies to hold Jardine Matheson to account. It must stop the expansion of the gold mine before it’s too late for the Tapanuli orangutan, the rainforest and the people who depend on it.

It must also address the injustices that local people have faced. Their waterways must be restored and the mine site cleaned up so that they can rebuild their livelihoods. And their land ownership must be recognised and respected, allowing these communities to continue protecting the forest for generations to come.

Stopping the expansion of the Martabe gold mine is part of our wider campaign to end exploitation by big business and put the planet over profit. That’s why we’re calling for a new law to hold UK companies to account for environmental destruction and human rights abuses in their supply chains. This new law would also allow affected communities to seek justice in the UK courts.

Help us save the Tapanuli orangutan and stand in solidarity with Indonesian communities campaigning against the gold mine.