Impact of tin mining on the biota of Bangka Island, Indonesia a proof to convince the tin supply chain of smartphones companies

Tin mining in Bangka Belitung islands has is about hundred years old. The islands are the largest tin producing islands in the world, second after China. Tin was exploited by the local people long time before the monopoly of VOC – a Dutch trading company in 18th century. From the occupation until the independence era, the local people had not been involved in mining. In 1999 the Department of Trade and Industry changed the tin trading status so that tin is not an export item to be watched over and regulated. This was followed by the issuance of the Bangka regent decree to legalize mining for people. That was a false perception, however believed by local government and people. While the excitement of freely mining is difficult to stop, the law enforcement proved to be weak. On one hand tin mining activities increase the wealth of the people, on the other hand they change and decrease the environmental stability. Unconventional miners (tambang inkonvensional – TI), the term used to describe local small scale tin mines, have expanded significantly since 2000. Unfortunately most of the TI activities are being carried out without regard to good mining practices, safety of land reclamation. In the last two years, local, national and international environmental non-government organizations (NGOs) have increased their campaign against exported tin ingot produced by non-standard practices. A foreign investigation found that it is highly likely that a smartphone has illegal Bangkanese tin in it. Huge foreign coverage in the media has given trouble to some smartphones companies, and local private miners and smelter owners. At the end of 2013, an international seminar to facilitate discussion on that issue was held in Pangkalpinang, Bangka Island. It was attended by some overseas smartphones representatives, local and international consultants, local and international environmental NGOs, local government, local private miners and smelter owners, and academics. Pluses and minuses of tin mining activities mostly by TI miners with regard to socioeconomic aspects, including the destruction of infrastructure, seem no objection in the reports, but the biological aspects do have substance. As a proof to convince tin supply chain to smartphone companies, this paper presents some evidence on the negative impact of non-standard tin mining operations to land and off-shore biotas. The decrease of biodiversity on the land system, in land and off-shore water bodies, and some oceanic biotas is discussed