Indigenous people on…Indonesia’s North Sulawesi province are claiming victory after the government revoked a [license of] Chinese company…Mikgro Metal Premium (MMP), which wanted to mine for iron ore on Bangka Island.

The revocation followed the end of a legal battle begun by the Kauku, the island’s indigenous population, who claimed the mining operation was illegal. Opposition to the mine…began as soon as the firm obtained a licence in 2014. The islanders filed a lawsuit in which they claimed the mine violated Indonesia’s 2007 Law on Management of Coastal Areas and Small Islands, which forbids mining on islands under 200,000 hectares…The lower courts and the Supreme Court all ruled in favor of the islanders…

Merah Johansyah, coordinator of Mining Advocacy Network (JATAM) who assisted the Bangka people, said…“Although the company has not yet started mining the ore, building facilities to prepare for the production process had caused environmental damage...Forest areas have been damaged, while “land has been cleared, mangroves have been buried and coral reefs destroyed to build roads, a port and warehouses,”…[A] resident of Lihunu, a village on the island, said the whole operation was threatening the livelihood of fishing communities…