Kendeng Mountains

Indonesia’s diversity is a blessing and a curse. While foreign investors, particularly cement and mining companies, have brought in significant investment to the country, it has often come at the expense of the environment. Since 1998, Pati Regency in Central Java has been experiencing flooding, which has caused damages to properties, and livelihood. However, instead of addressing the root cause of the problem, the region opened up to cement mining, thereby, increasing the threats of disasters.

Since 2001, the worldwide production of cement has increased threefold. Indonesia is an important producer, and the Indonesian market is dominated by three producers: the state-owned Semen Indonesia with more than 45 percent market share (as of 2013), followed by Indocement, of which the German HeidelbergCement holds a 51 percent majority stake (31 percent market share) and Holcim Indonesia (14 percent market share).