JAKARTA, 5 October 2023 – As one of the largest copper-and-gold-mining companies in Indonesia, PT Amman Mineral Nusa Tenggara (AMMAN) is committed to striking a balance between mining activities with environmental preservation and community empowerment. This serves as an integral part of sustainable business operations on AMMAN’s journey towards achieving our vision to create a legacy of best.
On 28 September 2023, the date of the annual Mining and Energy Day, AMMAN received two 2023 Subroto Awards from the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM). The Subroto Award is the most prestigious recognition from the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources to stakeholders who have displayed significant contributions in advancing the energy and mineral-resources sector in Indonesia.
The Community Nursery award recognizes the company’s innovative efforts in providing, developing, and managing nursery facilities in the mining sector through the Community Nursery Innovation Program. The AMMAN Stunting Prevention Program (1,000 Early Days of Life Program) also earned the company the award for most innovative community development and empowerment (PPM) in the health sector subcategory.
Nursery is a critically important component of a mine-reclamation program. Replanting a decommissioned operational area will bring the land back to its original state and purpose. AMMAN reclamation utilizes a hundred native species from Sumbawa, including ipil, rattan, binong, and sugar palm to recreate the original forest ecosystem. Some of these species, such as ipil (Sumbawa merbau) are almost extinct and included in the red list category of near-threatened species in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
AMMAN also collaborates with community nurseries to support the reclamation program. Two community nurseries adjacent to the Batu Hijau operational area in the villages of Sekongkang Tongo Village, nurture local seedlings for use in reclamation. Seeds and saplings are collected based on data from tree phenology surveys conducted since 2001. Plant phenology is the study of the seasonal dynamics of tree biological cycles, such as flowering, leaf color changes, and leaf shedding. The collected data is used in production planning to facilitate nursery operations.
Eliza Najib, manager of the Sekongkang nursery who received the 2019 Kalpataru award in the environmental pioneer category, noted the positive impacts of community involvement in this nursery.
“We receive technical guidance to produce the best quality seeds, so they can be marketed more widely. Indeed, a continuous education process is needed so that we can be in line with company standards and needs. This program also helps the community as it creates more jobs. Furthermore, the program also supports AMMAN’s reclamation program to be carried out more easily using the best seeds produced by the community,” Eliza explained.
The community nursery program run by AMMAN will continue as the need for seeds increases every year, in line with the company’s government-approved reclamation targets. The nursery also supplies seeds and saplings to other local industries such as hotels, who have extensive requirements for landscaping. Accessing a wider market will provide community nurseries with a sustainable income after the mine-reclamation programs have been completed. This program is replicable by other companies so that synergy between the company and the community around the operational area can be well established.
AMMAN also won the most-innovative community development and empowerment (PPM) award in the health sector subcategory. The Stunting Prevention Program (1,000 Days of Early Life Program) represents AMMAN commitment to prepare the community to remain empowered after mining operations.
AMMAN has conducted various initiatives in collaboration with public and private sector organizations in West Sumbawa (KSB) to reduce the stunting rate in the area around the Batu Hijau mine, with a target of reducing it from 7.16 percent to below 5 percent during the 2022 – 2025 program period.
A key component of this program is the increased access to nutrition through the provision of additional meals (PMT) with the Four Star Menu initiative. The program identified 198 stunted toddlers and 60 pregnant women with Chronic Energy Conditions (KEK) for inclusion in the intervention. From August 2022 to June 2023, 61 toddlers (31%) were declared to be no longer in danger of stunting, and 41 pregnant women (68%) were declared to have adequate nutrition.
The key to the success of PMT is ensuring that nutritious food is served properly and regularly to stunted toddlers and KEK pregnant women. AMMAN and implementing partners create nutritious and varied menus as well as supervise meal preparation to ensure that PMT is cooked, served, and consumed optimally. AMMAN and implementing partners also collaborated to provide a ‘Manual for Providing Supplementary Food for Stunting Children and Pregnant Women with KEK’ which serves as a guide to good implementation of PMT that can be duplicated to the wider community.
The two 2023 Subroto Awards demonstrate AMMAN’s commitment to creating a legacy of best. To realize this vision, AMMAN applies innovative and brave thinking to provide real benefits for community welfare and environmental sustainability.
