Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia, a maritime giant with over 17 thousand islands, has resumed its sea sand exports policy after a two-decade hiatus.However, the Ministry of Trade has stipulated that exports can proceed only after domestic needs are fully met. The policy aligns with Government Regulation No. 26 of 2023, which President Joko Widodo signed into law in May last year.
Yet, its implementation hinges on revisions to existing trade regulations. Therefore, Trade Minister Zulkifli Hasan recently issued Ministerial Regulations 20/2024 and 21/2024 to address prohibited exports and export policies, respectively.
"These revisions are mandated by Government Regulation 26 and were proposed by the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, the overseeing agency for marine sedimentation management," director general of foreign trade at the Trade Ministry, Isy Karim, explained on September 9, 2024.
Karim emphasized that the policy aims to address sedimentation issues that threaten coastal and marine ecosystems. By regulating sea sand exports, Indonesia is seeking to utilize marine sediment for ecosystem development and rehabilitation.
The sand export policy has met with immediate criticism from environmental activists and experts, who view it as yet another government action that undermines ecological protection.
Clarifying the policy, President Widodo told the media that the material that will be exported is not sand, but marine sediment, which disrupts shipping lanes.
"It's not sand. What was dredged was sediment that obstructed ship passages," he said on September 17.
Widodo added that oceanic sediment differs from sea sand, although both appear sandy. However, his statement contradicts Article 3, paragraph 1 of Government Regulation No. 26 of 2023. The regulation stipulates that sediment management should exclude shipping lanes.
Before the 2003 ban on sea sand exports, Indonesia was the primary supplier of sea sand to Singapore, which was pursuing land reclamation.
The export ban was implemented to prevent environmental degradation and the subsidence of small islands.
Expressing concern over dredging marine sediment for exports, economist Ihsan Ro said that it could have far-reaching environmental consequences for Indonesia.
Ihsan, who is dean of the Faculty of Economics and Business at the University of Mataram, pointed out that the cost of environmental restoration could potentially exceed the non-tax revenue generated from marine sediment exports.
He emphasized the need for a comprehensive study to evaluate the benefits and drawbacks of such activities.
"Rushing to enact regulations by revoking old ones without thorough research is unwise," he said.
The government's policy has also faced opposition from politicians.
"We urge the government to reconsider this policy as sand exports can jeopardize marine ecology and lead to disasters. The ecological damage could far outweigh the profits gained," Daniel Johan, a member of the House of Representatives' (DPR's) Commission IV, said in a statement.
He noted that sea sand extraction can lead to decreased water quality due to pollution and changes in seawater composition caused by mining activities.
Furthermore, sand extraction can accelerate coastal erosion, alter the coastline's shape, and disrupt the habitats of marine species that rely on the seabed substrate for breeding.
The politician recalled another significant impact: the loss of small Indonesian islands, as witnessed in the past.
"The disappearance of small islands 20 years ago during sea sand exports could recur," he warned, reminding that former president Megawati Soekarnoputri's two-decade-old ban on sea sand exports was motivated by the fact that the practice primarily benefited other countries while harming Indonesia's ecology and offering meager profits.
Greenpeace Indonesia's marine campaigner, Afdillah, reminded that the government's decision to resume sea sand exports could jeopardize the livelihoods of fishermen and coastal communities.
"Sand mining can damage fishermen's fishing grounds, reduce productivity, and ultimately lead to food shortages," he said in a statement.
A case of sand mining in the Spermonde Islands, off the coast of Makassar in 2020, illustrates this point. At the time, the dredging of sea sand by Dutch ship Queen of the Netherlands caused significant damage to fishing grounds.
Dredging of sea sand can alter the seabed's structure, thereby affecting ocean current patterns and increasing wave size. Beyond environmental impacts, sea sand mining can also threaten the economic and social sustainability of coastal communities, according to the non-profit organization.
Considering the crucial role of coastal ecosystems in protecting Indonesia's shores and supporting biodiversity, sustainable alternatives to beach sand exports are essential.
However, according to Afdillah, Government Regulation No. 26 of 2023 is primarily focused on regulating licensing and sand mining mechanisms rather than environmental restoration, which is its purported aim.
"To date, we have not witnessed any concrete environmental restoration efforts as claimed to be the primary objective of the regulation. Instead, we are presented with regulations that actually facilitate the sand export business process, not environmental restoration," he said.
Former minister of maritime affairs and fisheries, Susi Pudjiastuti also expressed her concerns on social media X and highlighted the importance of sand and sediment.
"Sand and any sediment are crucial for our survival," she said.
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"If we wish to utilize these sand/sediment, let's use them to elevate the northern coast of Java and other regions severely impacted by erosion and subsidence," she suggested.
By doing so, Indonesia can reclaim the land and rice fields of the people living on the northern coast. This would be a far more beneficial use than exporting the valuable resources, she explained.
"I hope that Your Excellency, as a representative of the Indonesian people, understands this perspective. Thank you."
The decision to resume sea sand exports is indeed a controversial one, with significant environmental, economic, and social implications.
While the government may argue for the economic benefits of the practice, the potential harm to marine ecosystems, coastal communities, and long-term sustainability raises serious concerns.