Reframing Artisanal Small-Scale Gold Mining Regulations: Integrating Local Values and Sustainability for Security and Environmental Justice in Gorontalo

Abstract

Artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) in Gorontalo—particularly in Bone Bolango, Boalemo, and Pohuwato—presents complex intersections between local livelihoods, ecological risks, and regulatory governance. This study reframes ASGM policy by integrating cultural values and sustainability principles through an adaptive and participatory legal model. Employing a normative–empirical approach, the research examines Indonesia’s evolving mining regulations (post–Law No. 3/2020 and Perpres No. 55/2022) alongside field-based evidence gathered from diverse mining settings, including underground hard-rock operations in Bone Bolango and alluvial open-pit sites in Pohuwato and Boalemo. Three central findings are highlighted. First, the centralization of licensing mechanisms has widened socio-institutional gaps, complicating formalization efforts and sustaining informality. Second, the alignment of regulatory tools with local cultural norms—such as kabilasa, tiered licensing, community monitoring, and restorative justice practices—enhances compliance, legitimacy, and conflict resolution. Third, cooperative records illustrate ASGM’s continuing importance to local economies and its susceptibility to governance gaps. The study proposes an integrated policy framework that bridges state law with community norms, embeds proportionate environmental safeguards, and applies performance-based auditing across ecological, social, and security dimensions, thereby supporting a just and sustainable transition for ASGM in Gorontalo.