Pulau Labengke - Will Nickel Mining Destroy Sulawesi’s Hidden Gem?

Anchored off the south East coast of Sulawesi in a stunning, fiord like bay on the island of Labengke we explore an unspoilt, ecological paradise with mountainous coastline, clothed in thick rain forest, filled with hornbills, kingfishers and scores of other exotic bird species, lapped by crystal clear waters covering beautiful coral reefs, heart shaped bays, blue, blue lagoons, very, very few people and no tourists. We feel so privileged to sail here on Our Dreamtime and experience such pristine natural beauty. If Nirvana exists, this is what it looks like. But this fragile treasure lays across a thin strip of water from death and destruction reigning down on the Sulawesi mainland in the form of unfettered nickel mining, stripping the jungle of all vegetation, laying the hills bare and covered red dust or mud silting the waters with red sediment wiping out all marine life. Could this fate also face unspoilt, pristine Pulau Labengke? The fears of the local people and survey pegs we found throughout the island suggest Yes!