North Sulawesi is a biodiversity hotspot and harbors some of the world's most spectacular nature areas. Northern Sulawesi is also home to a series of gold deposits and as such the tranquility of the area may soon end.

A British-Australian mining company is lobbying the goverment to begin gold mining exploration in the area. Plans to establish gold mining operations here have met with widespread resistance both from local
inhabitants and the Provincial government, who fear that the mines would disrupt the ecology and the economy of the region, which is based on fishing, agriculture and tourism.

The present provincial governor believes that short-term extractive industries like gold mining do not fit into the long-term sustainable development plans of this province and stated, "I prefer to be a green governor rather than allowing the destruction of our environment.“

But the battle is not yet won.