Participation of local community in the implementation of rural empowerment-based peatland conservation program on economic revitalization in South Sumatra, Indonesia

Peatland is critical ecosystems for carbon storage and biodiversity. However, it is highly vulnerable to degradation from unsustainable land use. Therefore, the participation of local community is required for peatland conservation. This study aims to analyze the level of community participation and the relationship between the internal factors such as knowledge, willingness, ability, and opportunity and local community’s participation in the rural empowerment based peatland conservation program in Banyuasin Regency, South Sumatra Province, Indonesia. A survey method was employed using purposive sampling with respondents consisting of local community involved in the program across in three villages. Data were analyzed using scoring by Likert scale analysis to measure the participation of local community and Spearman Rank correlation to examine relationships between the internal factors and local community’s participation The results showed that community participation is in the high category across all stages, including planning, implementation, benefit utilization, and evaluation. Internal factors such as knowledge, willingness, and ability are also categorized as high. Meanwhile, opportunity remains at a moderate level. Correlation analysis revealed that all internal factors have a positive, very strong, and significant relationship with the participation. Furthermore, the community ability was identified as the most significant factor. These findings indicated that strengthening community capacity supported by adequate knowledge and willingness is essential to enhance the participation of local community. However, improving external support, particularly government policies and market access, is necessary to ensure the long-term sustainability of the program.