Conceptual Model of Human Capacity for Coping with Potential Disasters Arising from Nickel Mining: A Case Study in Sulawesi

ABSTRACT : Nickel mining has expanded rapidly in Indonesia, particularly in Sulawesi, generating significant economic opportunities while simultaneously creating environmental and socio-economic pressures for surrounding communities. This study aims to develop a conceptual model of human capacity for coping with potential disasters arising from nickel mining activities. A Conceptual Literature Review approach combined with Thematic Synthesis was employed to identify, examine, and integrate relevant concepts and findings from previous studies. The literature was organized around mining-related risks, hazards, exposure, sensitivity, community vulnerability, adaptive capacity, and community resilience. The synthesis identified four complementary dimensions of adaptive capacity: economic, social, information, and institutional capacity. The findings indicate that mining activities may generate or intensify socio-ecological hazards, while the resulting level of community risk is shaped by exposure, sensitivity, vulnerability, and adaptive capacity. Economic capacity provides material resources and livelihood security; social capacity facilitates trust, networks, solidarity, and collective action; information capacity enables risk recognition, communication, and decisionmaking; and institutional capacity provides coordination, organizational support, rules, and access to resources. These dimensions are integrated into a broader construct of human capacity, expressed through the ability to recognize, prepare, respond, adapt, recover, and learn. The proposed model positions human capacity as a critical mechanism linking vulnerability and community resilience. Its conceptual contribution lies in shifting the analytical focus from the impacts of mining on communities toward the capacity of individuals, households, and communities to manage risks generated or intensified by mining activities. The model provides a foundation for further empirical testing and for developing community-based disaster risk reduction strategies in nickelmining regions.

KEYWORDS: nickel mining; human capacity; community vulnerability; adaptive capacity; community resilience; disaster risk; Sulawesi.