Sustainable Management Strategies for Oil Palm Plantations Based on an Analysis of Environmental Degradation in Tualang District, Riau
DOI:
10.29303/jppipa.v12i1.13532Published:
2026-01-25Downloads
Abstract
Land-use conversion from forests to oil palm plantations in Tualang District, Siak Regency, has intensified environmental and settlement pressures, requiring systematic evaluation. This study aims to analyse the spatial dynamics of forest conversion, assess environmental and settlement impacts, and formulate sustainable management strategies. A mixed-methods approach was employed, integrating spatial analysis of Landsat and Sentinel imagery, field surveys, observations, and in-depth interviews. Spatial change analysis and SWOT analysis were applied to interpret land-use dynamics and management options. The results indicate that from 2015 to 2025, oil palm expansion increased markedly, with forest and peatland conversion accounting for more than one-quarter of the total area. These changes led to soil degradation, biodiversity loss, increased runoff, water contamination, and reduced community access to natural resources. The proposed strategies emphasize conserving ecological buffers, strengthening community monitoring capacity, enforcing land-use regulations, and promoting sustainable plantation practices. Overall, integrated spatial planning and community participation are essential to ensure environmentally sustainable oil palm development.
Keywords:
Environmental sustainability Land use change Management strategy Oil palm Spatial analysis TualangReferences
Asmara, B., & Randhir, T. O. (2024). Modeling the impacts of oil palm plantations on water quantity and quality in the Kais River Watershed of Indonesia. Science of The Total Environment, 928, 172456. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.172456
Astari, A. J., Lovett, J. C., & Wasesa, M. (2025). Sustainable pathways in Indonesia’s palm oil industry through historical institutionalism. World Development Sustainability, 6(229), 100200. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wds.2024.100200
Azhar, B., Oon, A., Lechner, A. M., Ashton-Butt, A., Yahya, M. S., & Lindenmayer, D. B. (2023). Large-scale industrial plantations are more likely than smallholdings to threaten biodiversity from oil palm replanting spatial disturbances. Global Ecology and Conservation, 45, e02513. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2023.e02513
Barnes, A. D., Jochum, M., Mumme, S., Haneda, N. F., Farajallah, A., Widarto, T. H., & Brose, U. (2014). Consequences of tropical land use for multitrophic biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Nature Communications, 5(1), 5351. https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms6351
Bell, J. D., Senina, I., Adams, T., Aumont, O., Calmettes, B., Clark, S., Dessert, M., Gehlen, M., Gorgues, T., Hampton, J., Hanich, Q., Harden-Davies, H., Hare, S. R., Holmes, G., Lehodey, P., Lengaigne, M., Mansfield, W., Menkes, C., Nicol, S., … Williams, P. (2021). Pathways to sustaining tuna-dependent Pacific Island economies during climate change. Nature Sustainability, 4(10), 900–910. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-021-00745-z
Bukoski, J. J., Cook-Patton, S. C., Melikov, C., Ban, H., Chen, J. L., Goldman, E. D., Harris, N. L., & Potts, M. D. (2022). Rates and drivers of aboveground carbon accumulation in global monoculture plantation forests. Nature Communications, 13(1), 4206. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-31380-7
Duke, J. M., Dundas, S. J., Johnston, R. J., & Messer, K. D. (2015). The effect of spatial interdependencies on prioritization and payments for environmental services. Land Use Policy, 48, 341–350. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2015.05.023
Günsel, G. G., Conlon, T. M., Jeridi, A., Kim, R., Ertüz, Z., Lang, N. J., Ansari, M., Novikova, M., Jiang, D., Strunz, M., Gaianova, M., Hollauer, C., Gabriel, C., Angelidis, I., Doll, S., Pestoni, J. C., Edelmann, S. L., Kohlhepp, M. S., Guillot, A., … Yildirim, A. Ö. (2022). The arginine methyltransferase PRMT7 promotes extravasation of monocytes resulting in tissue injury in COPD. Nature Communications, 13(1), 1303. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-28809-4
Haryanto, R., Suwondo, Juandi, Siregar, S. H., & Risaundi, D. D. (2024). Peatlands and Their Relationship with Poverty Levels in Riau Province. International Journal of Sustainable Development and Planning, 19(11), 4349–4360. https://doi.org/10.18280/ijsdp.191123
Hergoualc’h, K., Gonzales, M. L., Málaga, N., & Martius, C. (2025). Conversion of degraded forests to oil palm plantations in the Peruvian Amazonia: Shifts in soil and ecosystem-level greenhouse gas fluxes. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 386(March), 109603. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2025.109603
Hidayah, M. R. (2025). Dampak Perkebunan Kelapa Sawit terhadap Lingkungan:Menyeimbangkan Risiko Ekologis dengan Keuntungan Ekonomi. Globe: Publikasi Ilmu Teknik, Teknologi Kebumian, Ilmu Perkapalan, 3(1), 90–94. https://doi.org/10.61132/globe.v3i1.763
Irma, W., Gunawan, T., & Suratman, S. (2018). Pengaruh Konversi Lahan Gambut Terhadap Ketahanan Lingkungan di DAS Kampar Provinsi Riau Sumatera. Jurnal Ketahanan Nasional, 24(2), 170. https://doi.org/10.22146/jkn.36679
Juliano, G., & Sudadi, U. (2024). Dynamics of Tropical Peatlands Characteristics and Carbon Stocks as Affected by Land Use Conversion and Ages of Land Use in Riau Province, Indonesia. Journal Unila, 29(1), 23–32. https://doi.org/10.5400/jts.2024.v29i1.23-32
Kamlun, K. U., & Phua, M.-H. (2024). Anthropogenic influences on deforestation of a peat swamp forest in Northern Borneo using remote sensing and GIS. Forest Systems, 33(1), eSC02. https://doi.org/10.5424/fs/2024331-20585
Kartiwa, B., Adi, S. H., Sosiawan, H., Marwanto, S., Maswar, Suratman, Bastoni, Ekadinata, A., Widiyono, W., & Agus, F. (2025). Peat Hydrological Properties and Vulnerability to Fire Risk. Fire, 9(1), 24. https://doi.org/10.3390/fire9010024
Kellett, M. J., Maloof, J. E., Masino, S. A., Frelich, L. E., Faison, E. K., Brosi, S. L., & Foster, D. R. (2023). Forest-clearing to create early-successional habitats: Questionable benefits, significant costs. Frontiers in Forests and Global Change, 5(January), 1–30. https://doi.org/10.3389/ffgc.2022.1073677
Kurniadi, W. (2025). The Impact of Oil Palm Plantations on the Environment and the Economy of Local Communities. Siber International Journal of Advanced Law (SIJAL), 3(2), 290–297. https://doi.org/10.38035/jgpp.v3i2.
Liu, L., Gudmundsson, L., Hauser, M., Qin, D., Li, S., & Seneviratne, S. I. (2020). Soil moisture dominates dryness stress on ecosystem production globally. Nature Communications, 11(1), 4892. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-18631-1
Mukhlis, M., Daniswara, N., Abdillah, A., & Sofiaturrohmah, S. (2025). The Intersectional Lens: Unpacking the Socio-Ecological Impacts of Oil Palm Expansion in Rural Indonesia. Sustainability, 17(23), 10570. https://doi.org/10.3390/su172310570
Nadhira, S., & Basuni, S. (2021). Implementation of the Concept of Conservation Area Buffer Zone in Indonesia. Jurnal Manajemen Hutan Tropika, 27(April), 32–41. https://doi.org/10.7226/jtfm.27.1.32
Powalla, D., Hoerner, S., Cleynen, O., Müller, N., Stamm, J., & Thévenin, D. (2021). A Computational Fluid Dynamics Model for a Water Vortex Power Plant as Platform for Etho- and Ecohydraulic Research. Energies, 14(3), 639. https://doi.org/10.3390/en14030639
Putri, E. I. K., Dharmawan, A. H., Hospes, O., Yulian, B. E., Amalia, R., Mardiyaningsih, D. I., Kinseng, R. A., Tonny, F., Pramudya, E. P., Rahmadian, F., & Suradiredja, D. Y. (2022). The Oil Palm Governance: Challenges of Sustainability Policy in Indonesia. Sustainability, 14(3), 1820. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14031820
Qu, W., Han, G., Eller, F., Xie, B., Wang, J., Wu, H., Li, J., & Zhao, M. (2020). Nitrogen input in different chemical forms and levels stimulates soil organic carbon decomposition in a coastal wetland. CATENA, 194, 104672. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2020.104672
Ramadhan, A., Rizal, Y., & Syarief, S. (2024). Social, environmental and economic impacts of oil palm plantation in Aceh, Indonesia. International Review of Economics and Financial Issues, 1(1), 57–72. https://doi.org/10.62941/irefi.v1i1.23
Ran, C., Liu, C., Peng, C., Li, X., Liu, Y., Li, Y., Zhang, W., Cai, H., & Wang, L. (2023). Oxidative potential of heavy-metal contaminated soil reflects its ecological risk on earthworm. Environmental Pollution, 323, 121275. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2023.121275
Rosana, S., Yasin, S., & Rezki, D. (2023). Pengaruh Alih Fungsi Lahan Sawah Menjadi Kebun Kelapa Sawit Terhadap Keanekaragaman Makrofauna Tanah Di Kecamatan Sitiung Kabupaten Dharmasraya. Agroradix: Jurnal Ilmu Pertanian, 7(1), 54–66. https://doi.org/10.52166/agroteknologi.v7i1.5235
Sari, M. I. S. (2022). Oil palm Analisis Capaian ISPO (Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil) Perkebunan Kelapa Sawit Pola Swadaya di Kabupaten Rokan Hulu. Jurnal Agribisnis, 24(1), 113–126. https://doi.org/10.31849/agr.v24i1.7316
Schindler, K., & Wegner, J. D. (2021). Mapping oil palm density at country scale: An active learning approach. Cornell Universuty, 261. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2105.11207
Wagner, M., Wentz, E. A., Stuhlmacher, M., Wagner, M., Wentz, E. A., & Stuhlmacher, M. (2022). Quantifying oil palm expansion in Southeast Asia from 2000 to 2015 : A data fusion approach Quantifying oil palm expansion in Southeast Asia from 2000 to ABSTRACT. Journal of Land Use Science, 17(1), 26–46. https://doi.org/10.1080/1747423X.2021.2020918
Winkler, K., Fuchs, R., Rounsevell, M., & Herold, M. (2021). Global land use changes are four times greater than previously estimated. Nature Communications, 12(1), 2501. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-22702-2
Xu, Y., Yu, L., Li, W., Ciais, P., Cheng, Y., & Gong, P. (2020). Annual oil palm plantation maps in Malaysia and Indonesia from 2001 to 2016. Earth System Science Data, 12(2), 847–867. https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-12-847-2020
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Nengsih Elfianti, Dedi Hermon

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with Jurnal Penelitian Pendidikan IPA, agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC-BY License). This license allows authors to use all articles, data sets, graphics, and appendices in data mining applications, search engines, web sites, blogs, and other platforms by providing an appropriate reference. The journal allows the author(s) to hold the copyright without restrictions and will retain publishing rights without restrictions.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in Jurnal Penelitian Pendidikan IPA.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).






