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View all search results13,000 ha of Nusantara forest damaged by illegal mining, farming
Nusantara was designed as a green city, with only a quarter of its 252,000-ha site planned for development and the remainder preserved as green space.
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This aerial photo taken on Aug. 15, 2025 shows civil servant apartments under construction in the Nusantara Capital City (IKN) project in North Penajam Paser, East Kalimantan. (AFP/-)
T
he Nusantara Capital City (IKN) Authority has reported that illegal farming and mining have damaged over 13,000 hectares of forest area in the country’s new capital, Nusantara, in East Kalimantan fueling growing concerns about the city’s long-term viability.
Insp. Gen. Edgar Diponegoro, head of a special task force formed to tackle illegal activities in Nusantara, said that 4,236 ha of land had been converted into illegal coal mines, while 8,338 ha had been damaged by unauthorized plantations.
“This level of destruction is a serious warning for the IKN Authority, especially as we work to preserve the forest functions in the area,” he said on Wednesday.
Nusantara was designed as a green city, with only a quarter of its 252,000-ha site planned for development and the remainder preserved as green space.
On Sept. 28, authorities seized seven trucks carrying illegally mined coal near the Samboja-Balikpapan Tollgate, one of the main access points to the new capital.
The following day, the team discovered stockpiles of coal and white sand from illegal mining in the protected Bukit Tengkorak forest area, in Sepaku subistrict. At the location, authorities found 2,000–3,000 tonnes of coal, along with several piles of white sand ready for transport.
The site of the illegal mine is located only 30 kilometers from the new presidential palace in Nusantara.
