Environmental groups are demanding the immediate closure of a controversial nickel mining operation in the Philippines after government inspectors discovered extensive forest destruction just miles from a protected UNESCO World Heritage site.
The Pujada Nickel Project on Mindanao island has stripped bare approximately 500 acres of ecologically sensitive forest land, leaving a brown scar of deforestation dangerously close to the Mount Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary. The mining site sits only 5 miles from the UNESCO-protected sanctuary and 4.3 miles upstream from Pujada Bay, a nationally protected seascape that receives drainage from waterways now contaminated by mining activities.
Operated by companies controlled by Filipino mining investor Pedro O. Tan and his family, the project began commercial operations in 2016 as part of a government initiative to revitalize the nation’s mining industry. However, local communities, environmental organizations, and even the Catholic Diocese of Mati have opposed the project for over a decade, citing inevitable environmental damage from large-scale strip mining in such a sensitive location.
The controversy highlights the ongoing tension between economic development and environmental protection in the Philippines, where mining interests often clash with conservation efforts. Critics argue that allowing destructive mining practices so close to irreplaceable ecosystems sets a dangerous precedent for future projects. The Mount Hamiguitan sanctuary, recognized for its unique biodiversity and endemic species, represents one of the Philippines’ most important natural treasures—making the nearby environmental destruction all the more concerning to conservationists.