Environmental Governance and Regulatory Effectiveness of Sand Mining Along the Brantas River Basin in Indonesia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.68211/nomosethica.v1i1.25Keywords:
Sand mining, Environmental governance, River basin management, Environmental law, Sustainable mining, Brantas River BasinAbstract
Sand mining has become one of the fastest-growing extractive activities in Indonesia due to increasing infrastructure development and rising demand for construction materials. Along the Brantas River Basin in Tulungagung Regency, East Java, sand mining contributes to local economic activities and employment opportunities. However, uncontrolled extraction practices have increasingly caused environmental degradation and ecological instability within the river ecosystem. This study aims to analyze the environmental impacts of sand mining activities, evaluate the effectiveness of environmental regulations governing mining management, and formulate sustainable environmental governance strategies based on environmental conservation principles and Indonesian legal frameworks. This research employed a normative juridical method using statutory, conceptual, and case approaches. The study examined Indonesian environmental and mining regulations, including Law Number 32 of 2009 concerning Environmental Protection and Management, Law Number 3 of 2020 concerning Mineral and Coal Mining, and related government regulations concerning environmental governance and mining activities. Secondary legal materials consisted of scientific publications, environmental law literature, government reports, and previous studies related to environmental degradation caused by sand mining activities. The findings indicate that sand mining activities along the Brantas River Basin have caused significant environmental impacts, including riverbank erosion, declining water quality, sediment imbalance, biodiversity reduction, and ecosystem instability. Although Indonesia possesses relatively comprehensive environmental regulations, their implementation remains ineffective due to weak supervision, illegal mining operations, limited environmental monitoring, and inadequate law enforcement. This study concludes that sustainable sand mining management requires integrated environmental governance emphasizing strict law enforcement, ecological restoration, community participation, and stronger institutional supervision.
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