Regional Ecosystem Carrying Capacity and Sustainable Palm Oil Development: A Review on Land–Water–Carbon–Hydrological–Ecological Dimensions and Optimal Spatial Allocation
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.59890/ijgsr.v4i5.236Keywords:
Ecosystem Carrying Capacity, Sustainable Palm Oil, Land Suitability, Spatial Planning, Carbon Sequestration, Hydrological Regulation, Indonesia, Peatlands, Multi-Commodity Zoning, Forest CoverAbstract
The rapid expansion of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) plantations across tropical regions, particularly Indonesia, has intensified debates over ecological thresholds and regional carrying capacity. This qualitative literature review synthesizes recent evidence (2020–2026) on ecosystem carrying capacity across five interlocking dimensions—land and water resources, carbon sequestration, hydrological regulation, ecological integrity, and disaster mitigation—within the context of sustainable palm oil development. The analysis integrates multi-commodity land-suitability assessments and evaluates optimal proportions of forest, food crops, oil palm, infrastructure, and other land uses within Indonesian spatial planning frameworks. Findings indicate that many lowland and peatland landscapes have approached or exceeded critical carrying capacity limits, with water resource constraints, carbon emissions from peat conversion, and altered hydrological regimes posing systemic risks. While legal benchmarks mandate minimum forest cover of 30% per river basin or island, empirical evidence suggests that functional hydrological regulation and biodiversity conservation often require higher set-asides and strategic riparian buffers. Multi-criteria decision analysis and GIS-based land evaluation identify significant opportunities to reallocate degraded or idle land to oil palm while protecting high-conservation-value areas. The review concludes that sustainable palm oil development must shift from area expansion to yield intensification, landscape optimization, and strict adherence to ecological thresholds
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