DOI: https://doi.org/10.14710/ijpd.11.2.86-95

Public Participation in Environmental Impact Assessment and Its Role in Regional Development Transformation Evidence from Palm Oil Industrial Projects

*M. Farandika Akbar  -  Departement of Agriculture, Jambi University, Jambi, Indonesia, Indonesia
Muhammad Guntur  -  Departement of Science and Technology, Jambi University, Jl. Jambi-Muara Bulian KM. 15, Mendalo Indah, Kecamatan Jambi Luar Kota, Kabupaten Muaro Jambi, Jambi 36361, Indonesia
Royhan Himawan Putra  -  Departement of Agriculture, Jambi University, Jl. Jambi-Muara Bulian KM. 15, Mendalo Indah, Kecamatan Jambi Luar Kota, Kabupaten Muaro Jambi, Jambi 36361, Indonesia
Received: 12 Feb 2026; Revised: 22 May 2026; Accepted: 25 May 2026; Available online: 22 Oct 2026; Published: 22 Oct 2026.
Editor(s): Sri Rum Giyarsih

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Abstract

Resource-based regional development through the expansion of oil palm plantations and crude palm oil (CPO) industries has become a key driver of economic growth in many Indonesian regions. While such investments generate employment and regional revenues, they also reshape local social structures, production relations, and governance arrangements. Public participation is formally mandated through Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA/AMDAL), yet its substantive role in legitimizing development decisions remains contested, particularly in investment-driven contexts. This study examines public participation in EIA not as a procedural requirement, but as an institutional arena through which development legitimacy and local representation are negotiated. Drawing on a comparative qualitative analysis of three EIA documents and public consultation records from CPO industrial projects in Sarolangun (Jambi), Dharmasraya (West Sumatra), and Sanggau (West Kalimantan), the study analyzes variations in participation patterns, actor representation, and the quality of community responses to development. The findings reveal marked differences across cases. In Dharmasraya, participation was dominated by customary communities, with public input narrowly focused on customary land rights. In Sarolangun, affected local communities played a more prominent role, yet inputs were largely limited to employment and corporate social responsibility issues. In contrast, Sanggau exhibited more inclusive participation involving customary groups, affected farmers, and gender representation, resulting in more substantive inputs addressing environmental governance, water management, odor control, and distributive justice.

These variations demonstrate that public participation in EIA is shaped less by formal procedures than by local social configurations, power relations, and institutional design. The study contributes to regional development literature by conceptualizing EIA as a selective institutional mechanism that mediates development legitimacy, rather than merely an environmental management tools. By bridging environmental governance and political economy perspectives, this research highlights the importance of inclusive and substantively meaningful participation for equitable and sustainable resource-based regional development.

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Keywords: Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA); Palm Oil; Public Participation; Resource-Based Regional Development.

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