Gold Miners Breach Crucial Sumatran Orangutan Refuge in Indonesia

Illegal gold mining has damaged a vital reintroduction site for critically endangered Sumatran orangutans, threatening conservation work and local water sources.

Illegal gold miners have encroached into Indonesia’s Jantho forest reservation, a critical reintroduction site for rescued Sumatran orangutans. The Jantho area, located in Aceh province on Sumatra’s northern tip, is key to efforts by charity workers and state biodiversity officials trying to save the critically endangered great apes from extinction.

New analysis by the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi), the country’s largest environmental pressure group, shows illegal mining has damaged over 14 hectares, or approximately 35 acres, of the Jantho Nature Reserve. This area is equivalent to about 20 football pitches. Damage occurred between 2023 and May 2026. “The result of our monitoring indicates that maybe dozens of excavators are suspected of operating in the Jantho forest area,” said Afifuddin, Walhi’s campaign and advocacy lead for Aceh.

The Indonesian government established the Jantho orangutan reintroduction area more than 15 years ago. Since 2011, the Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme (SOCP) and the government have released nearly 200 orangutans there. It remains one of Indonesia’s most successful release sites for the species, chosen for its fig tree habitat, a primary orangutan food source, and its closeness to the Leuser Ecosystem, which holds most of the remaining wild Sumatran orangutans.

The increase in illegal mining activity coincides with a global rush for gold. Investors seek to protect wealth against inflation and political instability, according to Mongabay. The price of gold more than doubled from around $1,928 an ounce in early 2023 to over $4,600 in May 2026.

The environmental impact extends beyond the immediate damage to the reserve. Many worry about pollution in the watershed of the Krueng Aceh River, a crucial water source for local communities. Afifuddin noted that the impact is felt by communities using the river for clean water, irrigation, and fisheries. Darwin, an Acehnese traditional community leader for Jantho, said residents have reported difficulties catching fish and obtaining drinking water due to pollution.

Local communities have opposed the mining. Darwin stated that 13 local villages united against the activity and reported miners to authorities. In April, the community reported illegal mining to the Aceh Besar district police and the provincial conservation department, BKSDA. A joint operation in June by police, BKSDA, forestry law enforcement, and local community members inspected suspected mining sites. While no heavy equipment was found operating, the team put up warning signs, razed a mining encampment, and destroyed some light equipment. Ujang Wisnu Barata, head of the BKSDA, confirmed that illegal mining had damaged the Jantho Nature Reserve across three close sites. The government says it will increase security to support the reservation.

Sumatran orangutans, with an estimated wild population of 13,846 in 2017, face threats from habitat fragmentation due to logging, mining concessions, agricultural plantations, and new roads, according to the IUCN. Their slow reproductive rate further hampers recovery. However, there are signs of progress. On May 22, fieldworkers confirmed the birth of an orangutan in Jantho, the 11th live birth recorded by the charity managing the reintroduction. This suggests that reintroduced orangutans can establish viable breeding populations. The area also hosts siamang gibbons, sun bears, and rare bird species.

For travelers considering jungle stays and hosts building them, the situation in Jantho highlights the ongoing pressures on critical wildlife habitats and the importance of supporting conservation-minded tourism and local community efforts.