Environmental Health Justice and Extractive Industries: Legal Protection of Indigenous Communities in Indonesia’s Mining Regions

Abstract

Environmental degradation caused by extractive industries poses significant health risks to communities worldwide, disproportionately affecting Indigenous peoples. Indonesia, as a major global mining hub, faces persistent conflicts between economic development and environmental health justice. This article investigates the legal protection of Indigenous communities’ health rights in mining regions, with a focus on environmental health impacts such as water contamination, air pollution, and occupational hazards. Through normative legal analysis and selected case studies, the paper examines national environmental laws, Indigenous rights recognition, and judicial responses to mining-related health harms. The study situates Indonesia’s legal framework within international environmental and human rights standards, including the right to a healthy environment. Findings reveal systemic gaps in enforcement, limited community participation, and unequal power relations between corporations and Indigenous groups. Despite progressive legal recognition of environmental and health rights, practical access to justice remains constrained. This paper argues that environmental health justice requires stronger legal integration between health law, environmental regulation, and Indigenous rights. By foregrounding health impacts in environmental governance, Indonesia can advance more equitable and sustainable development. The analysis contributes to global discussions on environmental health justice in resource-rich developing countries.