Tensions loom over Sumberagung Village, Pesanggaran District, Banyuwangi, following the entry of a geoelectric survey team into the Mount Salakan area. Local residents organized under the Wonoasih Makmur Sejahtera Forest Farmers Group (KTH WAMS) object to the presence of activities suspected to be the initial step of gold mining exploration. Residents' suspicions arose as the company conducted surveys on land managed by the community for years without adequate coordination or information transparency.
For local residents, Mount Salakan is not merely farmland, but a vital sanctuary in the event of a tsunami and a crucial ecosystem buffer. Bitter experiences regarding landscape changes due to mining at Mount Tumpang Pitu are the primary reason for their rejection. Residents fear that extractive activities will trigger environmental degradation, increase the risk of hydrological disasters such as floods, and destroy the community's primary sources of livelihood in agriculture and tourism.
The conflict escalated when seven farmers were summoned by the police for allegedly obstructing company activities under Article 162 of the Mineral and Coal Mining Law. The farmers emphasized that their actions were a form of public oversight over a living space protected by a Social Forestry Decree (SK). The legality of this 2,452-hectare management area forms the basis for residents to demand their right to information and a healthy environment.
An advocate from YLBHI–LBH Surabaya, M. Ramli Himawan, assessed that the legal action against the residents potentially leads to the criminalization of environmental defenders. According to him, this dispute should be resolved through dialogue prioritizing transparency. He emphasized that the community's right to know the impacts of activities around their place of residence is guaranteed by the constitution and environmental laws; thus, using criminal instruments against residents defending their living space is inappropriate.
