Relations with the O’Hongana Manyawa must be avoided and limited for their safety. Based on international expertise, a protocol has been put in place to avoid and limit interactions with this the community groups or made unintentionally. When contacts are initiated by this the community groups, PT Weda Bay employees adopt culturally appropriate behavior to preserve them. An employee awareness program has been in place for ten years to enable employees to better understand and appreciate the culture of this community, and to respect their homes and places of worship.
Exchanges with this the community groups have now been uninterrupted for several years and have led to a relationship of mutual trust.
Two videos have been released showing recent interactions with the O’Hongana Manyawa.
- A shocking video showing members of the O’Hongana Manyawa community threatening a operational machine on another bank of a river. Contrary to what has been reported, this video does not concern PT Weda Bay’s activities, does not involve any of its employees and was not filmed on the concession’s perimeter.
- A video showing the voluntary visit of members of this community to a PT Weda Bay exploration camp. The video shows a friendly relationship and mutual trust between the community and PT Weda Bay employees. However, to protect the privacy and safety of these communities, PT Weda Bay has reminded them that it is forbidden to film them without their knowledge and to share these images on social networks.
In Indonesia, there is no legislative or regulatory framework laying down the conditions for implementing a Free Prior Informed Consent (FPIC) process in line with international standards. The Indonesian government does not recognize the O’Hongana Manyawa community as an “indigenous group”. Nevertheless, since 2012, PT Weda Bay decided to set up an active engagement program with this community located within the concession perimeter, and in accordance with Indonesian law, Weda Bay Nickel’s mining activities are subject to in-depth consultation with local communities, including this community. Since 2012, the company has maintained mutually accepted exchanges with the community groups present in the vicinity of our mining activities.
Further ecosystem services studies in 2024 will enable PT Weda Bay to update its community engagement plan if necessary.
Since the start of mining operations, around 2,000 hectares of the 45,000-hectare mining concession have been exploited. A nursery with 180,000 seedlings of local species is in place on the concession, and two more are planned for construction in 2024 as close as possible to the new mining sites, to be able to rehabilitate the mined areas. PT Weda Bay Nickel is committed to applying the highest standards and is stepping up these measures to meet the highest standards, with a target of zero net loss of biodiversity.
Weda Bay mine operations are not responsible for pollution of the Sagea River. In accordance with WBN’s Environmental and Social Impact Assessment and Environmental and Social Management Plans, water
quality is regularly monitored, including by qualified third-party inspection entities. The monitoring program is approved by the Indonesian national licensing authorities and is drawn up in consultation with national and local authorities. Sensors are installed in various areas to monitor water quality in downstream river discharges. The data recorded by the sensors is transmitted to government authorities. National and local authorities monitor and inspect on a regular basis.
In 2023, the community of Sagea became concerned about a phenomenon of discoloration of the Sagea River due to sediment that occurred during the exceptionally heavy rainy season in August and September. Following its letter of September 4, 2023, the North Maluku Environmental Agency conducted aerial and ground inspections in conjunction with Sagea village authorities and local community representatives, supported by PT Weda Bay’s helicopter, vehicles and environmental personnel, and commissioned water monitoring tests by an independent third-party laboratory. The results of the water tests and inspections proved that the discoloration of the Sagea River was not related to Weda Bay’s activities, and that it was safe to continue mining.
On September 6, 2023, the North Maluku environmental agency issued an official letter confirming the results of the inspection and authorizing PT Weda Bay to continue its mining activities. This information was also relayed by the local media. In fact, to date, WBN has no active mining area likely to have an impact on the Sagea River.
The local communities have not been impoverished by Weda Bay’s mining activity. The arrival of mining activity has created many new economic opportunities for the surrounding villages. This has been confirmed by regular environmental and social impact studies. The most recent study, completed in October 2023, shows that the impact of mining and exploration activities on lifestyle is limited. This conclusion had already been reached in the Social Baseline carried out in 2020, which indicated that there was no significant impact on the reduction of agricultural plantations, nor any significant negative economic impact, and that the installation of the mine had involved the creation of new economic opportunities.
Capacity-building programs for villagers have been supported by PT Weda Bay. The creation of a fishing cooperative was also supported, benefiting over 20 households in the Sawai community. A program to support corn planting activities was also carried out in the village of Kobe.
PT Weda Bay does not operate on land taken from local communities. Between 2010 and 2019, PT Weda Bay carried out a land acquisition plan with private individuals. This plan was implemented in accordance with Indonesian regulations and IFC Performance Standard 5. In 2010, PT Weda Bay Nickel began negotiating with local communities to acquire land. A market value assessment was carried out by a third-party firm, and several negotiation meetings were held with the owners of the land concerned. An agreement was reached setting a price per hectare of IDR 8,000, which is the highest value on the market, the average value at the time being between IDR 2,500 and 7,200. In addition, a compensation framework, in line with international standards, identifying the degree of loss of income and vulnerability of each party was also carried out by an independent consultant.
As of 2019, PT Weda Bay Nickel no longer undertakes land acquisitions from private individuals. Transactions carried out in the region since then have been initiated by and under the exclusive control of IWIP. PT Weda Bay Nickel has no connection with them and has no visibility on the price or the acquisition process.
PT Weda Bay has never used state armed force in the land acquisition process.
To date, the Sonic Bay project, on study, has not been financed by the French state investment fund dedicated to critical minerals and metals.