The price of progress - 12th April 2023

In Indonesia the sea's running red as nickel mining takes over traditional farming areas. Nickel's a critical component used in electric vehicle batteries and Indonesia has the world's largest reserves of this vital metal.

Nevertheless, this industrial boom leaves many villages with the prospect of losing their land and poses a threat to the livelihoods of villagers who rely on traditional farming practices in the Sulawesi region.

Many villagers like Royani and her family thrive on the profits from cloves grown on their land.

Royani: "Clove trees are all we have. I want to send my child to college but now where can I get the money from? In Mosolo, most of the parents, who sent their children to universities, earned the money from clove farming. Nickel is only for the miners. We don't get the benefit. We'll suffer losses instead."

In the face of powerful opponents, many locals believe they have no choice but to defend their land physically. Developed economies, such as China and South Korea, and companies like Tesla and Brazil's Vale are mining and establishing nickel processing plants in Sulawesi. The impact on villages and ways of life is evident to Guntur and others who witness the changes unfold.

Guntur: "This is all because of the mining. To be honest, it's the mine. In the past when there were no mines, the waters were not like this. It was so clean. We could bathe and fish, now we can't. When we throw bait into the sea, then pull it out, the bait is covered in red. Before, when we threw the bait into the sea, it would stay clean."

Rainfall has led to water contamination from the nickel mines rushing into the Pacific Ocean which has reddened the villages' surrounding waters, resulting in the decimation of the local people's fish stocks, their primary protein source.

Nevertheless, a resolution to the conflict doesn't seem imminent given President Joko Widodo's vision for Indonesia to achieve developed nation status by ensuring that the country's development projects progress full speed ahead.