• The Mine is located along the southwestern edge of the West Batang Toru Forest, in South Tapanuli Regency, North Sumatra, Indonesia.
• The COW covers an area of 130,000 hectares (Ha). However, the current operational footprint of the Martabe Mine is ~600 Ha and the total footprint at Life of Mine is expected to be ~900 Ha – representing less than 1% of the concession area under the COW.
• The entire footprint of the Mine—both current and future—falls within the “Area for Other Use” or “Area Pemanfaatan Lain (APL)”, which is a land-use classification under Indonesian regulation that permits an area to be used for non-forest development, provided strict environmental and regulatory standards are met and followed.
• While no part of the Mine’s current operations or planned development overlaps with the Protected Forest, a small area of Martabe overlaps with the revised 170,000 ha Batang Toru Key Biodiversity Area (KBA), which was altered at the end of 2022 without prior consultation. Prior to this change, no part of the Mine’s operations or planned developments overlapped with KBA.
• The Mine’s footprint that overlaps with the revised KBA boundary:
  • Around 2 ha of operations as of 2025, representing 0.001% of the KBA and less than 0.5% of the Mine’s footprint.
  • Around 50 ha of total Mine footprint at end of Life of Mine, representing 0.03% of the KBA and 5.4% of total expected Mine area.

The current Life of Mine is projected to run until 2034–2035.

• The decision was taken following the BAP’s assessment of habitat suitability, including the estimated density of orangutans and level of activity, as well as the required mitigating actions, based on several years of research, much of it being extensive on-the-ground verification of wildlife species spread and density, habitats, food sources, and movement and trails.
• Other prospective areas, such as to the south of the Mine, were not deemed suitable for development despite their lower quality forest, due to their proximity to a residential area with a dense population, severely raising the likelihood of negative community impact.
• The BAP acknowledges the importance of the TUA development and has recommended several environmental mitigation measures, which PTAR has committed to implementing fully.  
• After development is completed, that Mine site will be rehabilitated through local tree replanting from the Mine’s nursery, where native pioneer species are grown in mycorrhizal-injected soil, allowing the forest to return as quickly and as naturally as possible.  

• The KBA boundary was revised in 2022, affecting a small portion of the northern area of the Mine. Before the KBA boundary was moved, none of the current or planned developments of the Mine were in the KBA.  
• The current overlap is around 2 ha. By the end of Life of Mine, the total overlap is expected to be around 50 ha – representing just 0.03% of the 170,000 ha KBA and 5.4% of total expected Mine footprint.  
• According to the KBA Secretariat, the existence of an active Mine site within a KBA boundary is not prohibited, but the Mine should follow best practice in relation to environmental stewardship. Martabe has in place industry leading biodiversity practices and rehabilitation procedures – and has considered the revised KBA boundary in its operational plan.
• One key procedure adopted by PTAR is to seek the advice of and consent from the Biodiversity Advisory Panel (BAP) in connection with any expansion of the Mine. The BAP is composed of some of the world’s leading academic experts in tropical forestry and primatology, with particular expertise in the Batang Toru ecosystem, biodiversity conservation, and the Tapanuli orangutan.  

• The original site for the tailings facility was near high-value habitat, identified by the BAP as critical for biodiversity and thus better conserved as a corridor for wildlife.
• The planned tailings facility was therefore relocated to the west of the Mine, to a degraded area with former rubber plantations, minimising the impact on valuable habitat. The BAP approved the move after conducting surveys and ensuring adequate mitigation measures.

• The Indonesian government plays a central role through PTAR’s Contract of Work, which mandates exploration in designated areas and requires regulatory compliance. Authorities such as the ESDM (Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources), BKSDA (Natural Resource Conservation Center or Balai Konservasi Sumber Daya Alam), Kementerian Lingkungan Hidup (Ministry of Environment), dan Kementerian Kehutanan (Ministry of Forestry) oversee approvals and monitor mining activities related to their respective jurisdictions. As a designated strategic national asset, the Mine is subject to close government scrutiny to ensure alignment with national environmental and development goals. PTAR is under contractual obligation to carry out mining activities (including test drills, surveys, exploration and exploitation) within the approved project boundary area, in line with the schedule agreed with the GOI.  
• Pursuant to relevant data regulation in Indonesia, data obtained from the Orangutan survey in the Mine area and its surroundings, as well as other related information, were transferred to the Government of Indonesia (GOI). Any requests to access the data, including genetic information relating to orangutans, can be submitted to the GOI.  
• In the past few months, the GOI has been coordinating a multi-stakeholder initiative to enhance the protection of the Tapanuli Orangutan and the biodiversity in the Batang Toru Forest. As part of this initiative, the GOI is supportive of PTAR’s approach to engage with the wider scientific community to provide better understanding of the biodiversity surrounding the Mine, including sharing its proprietary Orangutan survey data.
• PTAR remains steadfast in its commitment to environmental stewardship and looks forward to supporting the government authorities to further strengthen conservation efforts.  

PTAR follows a comprehensive set of protocols to minimise biodiversity impact, guided by its Code of Practice and assessments under the AMDAL or ESIA (Environmental and Social Impact Assessment).  

Key measures include: 

• Pre-clearance Surveys: Surveys are conducted on any areas where exploration or development activity is planned. The surveys are designed and controlled by the Biodiversity Advisory Panel (BAP) and, depending on the outcomes, the BAP recommends prudent mitigation practices to minimise the impact of clearing activity on biodiversity.  
• Risk Mitigation: PTAR enforces zonal protection, monitors biodiversity using camera traps and drones, and protects habitats through reclamation, reforestation, and water management.
• Land Access Disturbance Request (LADR): All clearing of vegetation at the site is strictly controlled by LADR:
  • Verifying that the clearance area is approved under the AMDAL/ESIA,
  • Verifying that the area is no larger than that required for the activity covered by the LADR,
  • Ensuring that pre-clearing inspections take place,
  • Unapproved clearing activity is subject to disciplinary sanction,
  • Within 24 hours before any clearing of native vegetation at the site, a team of four Mine personnels are required to conduct a walk-through inspection of the area to check for the presence of species classified as critically endangered (orangutan, tiger, pangolin and hornbill),
  • The team records their findings and takes photographs to support their conclusions.
  • If individuals of these species are recorded, clearing activities in the vicinity must be immediately halted and a defined procedure must be followed to ensure the animal is protected.
• Rehabilitation/Reclamation: PTAR restores disturbed land by reshaping terrain, improving soil quality, replanting native species, and re-establishing drainage. To date, over ~40 hectares have been rehabilitated with the aim of returning cleared or mined areas to stable, biodiverse, and productive conditions.  

PTAR has implemented a range of improvements based on recommendations from the BAP, integrating them into its Code of Practice and Biodiversity Action Plan. These include:

• Mandatory pre-clearance surveys to validate existing assessments and guide appropriate mitigation before any land development.
• Relocating certain development plan to different areas that has minimal impact on valuable habitat.
• Increased regular patrols to prevent poaching and illegal activities.
• Enhanced staff training in fauna inspection and phenology.
• Community capacity-building programmes focused on education, healthcare, and sustainable farming to reduce human pressures on biodiversity.
• Intensification of reclamation and reforestation efforts to speed up ecosystem recovery.
• Wildlife corridor improvements. 

At the recommendation of the BAP, PTAR has established a 2,000-ha conservation area—exceeding the Mine’s operational footprint— including an area that was originally designated as tailings storage facility, which serves dual purposes as safe corridors for orangutans during active mining and a foundation for post-mining habitat restoration.

Recent intensive surveys confirm orangutan activity within the area surrounding the Mine, particularly in the on-site conservation area. The orangutan can occasionally be found foraging and nesting in this area.  

To ensure their safety, PTAR enforces a very strict procedure. Please see our response in “Mitigation Hierarchy in Managing Biodiversity” section above, setting out the procedure.

Since the operation of the Mine started in 2012, there has been no case of orangutan fatality associated with the mining activity.

In November 2025, PTAR formalized its collaboration with the IUCN’s ARRC through a Memorandum of Understanding, under which the ARRC will be the independent authority on all mitigation and data analysis related to potential impacts on orangutans and their habitat.