Marginalization of a coastal resource-dependent community: A study on Tin Mining in Indonesia

Abstract

This study, conducted in Bangka Island of Indonesia, reveals how local power dynamics spawn ‘grey participation’ within local decision-making frameworks and how the imbalanced distribution of impacts and benefits from suction dredger operations shift local people’s perceptions, potentially marginalizing them. This study utilized structured and semi-structured questions through household surveys of 80 respondents, 35 key informant interviews, and one focus group discussion to study how large-scale coastal tin mining marginalizes a local community in Bangka Island and how it impacts people’s livelihoods. Results show that villagers initially accepted suction dredger operations because they were unaware of the impacts, public consultation meetings did not guarantee active participation in the decision-making process and took advantage of the communities’ lack of knowledge and understanding of the purpose of the meetings, and that companies emphasized community benefits rather than the potential adverse impacts caused by suction dredging. The community is marginalized because locals do not have equal access to benefits and because not all impacts are equally shared among all stakeholders. We suggest that locals be given equal opportunities in decision-making ensuring that benefits are fairly received. We encourage good mining governance formation to avoid larger negative impacts on both community and the environment.