Antara News·Indonesia·Tuesday, November 3, 2026 at 01:11 PM UTC

Illegal gold mining detected in Kerinci Seblat National Park

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Nanang M, Rahmad Nasution

Jambi (ANTARA) - A joint team has found evidence of illegal gold mining inside Kerinci Seblat National Park in Jambi Province, prompting authorities to investigate suspected operations along the Penetai River.

The team comprised Kerinci police, the 0417 Kerinci Military District Command, and the Kerinci Seblat National Park authority, Kerinci Police Chief Adjunct Senior Commissioner Hernawan Risky said Tuesday.

The team first entered the Penetai forest area on Friday, October 16, with 10 Kerinci police officers and five park rangers.

At the site, officers found signs of illegal mining along the Penetai River but no active operations or suspects.

"We found an excavator, eight huts, six sluice boxes, eight drums of diesel fuel, eight diesel-filled jerrycans, and one mining pump," Hernawan said.

Officers documented the findings and damaged some equipment to prevent its reuse. They also burned huts believed to have been used by the miners.

The Penetai River appeared murky, leading investigators to suspect that other mining sites might be operating farther upstream.

Following the discovery, officials held a coordination meeting on Sunday, October 18, at the Kerinci Seblat National Park management office in Sungai Penuh.

The meeting brought together representatives from Kerinci police, the military, the national park authority, the Forestry Ministry's regional security and law enforcement unit, the Kerinci regional intelligence agency, and local environmental group Pedas Kerinci.

Participants agreed to form a joint team to investigate the upper Penetai River on Monday, October 19. The team departed from the national park's Muara Emat post.

During the search, officers found traces of illegal mining at the confluence of the Sijau and Penetai rivers, including two well-maintained huts, two abandoned huts, and several diesel drums.

However, officers again found no miners at the site.

The team then searched about nine kilometers of the Penetai River, finding 16 huts, nine sluice boxes, 14 diesel drums, and three mining pumps buried under soil and rocks.

Hernawan said the investigation confirmed evidence of illegal gold mining inside the national park along the Penetai River, based on abandoned excavation sites and mining equipment in the remote area.

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