Oil palm plantations are a leading sub-sector in Indonesia's agricultural sector which is experiencing rapid growth. Ketapang Regency, as the area with the largest oil palm plantation area in West Kalimantan, has great potential for further development. This study aims to analyze the suitability of land for oil palm plantation development using the Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) approach integrated with the Geographic Information System (GIS). The Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) method is used to determine the weight and value of subcriteria that affect land suitability. The criteria used include slope, land cover, spatial pattern, soil texture, effective depth, drainage, temperature, rainfall, and distance from the road. The results of the analysis show that most of the Ketapang Regency (79.56%) is included in the S1 (highly suitable) and S2 (suitable) categories, with the dominance of the S2 category (67.11%). However, only 3.17% of the regions met the S1 category, while most of the regions (23.29%) were in the S2 category. The results of the overlay with the Regional Spatial Plan (RTRW) and existing land use show that most of the appropriate areas are located outside the protected area. This study concludes that Ketapang Regency has great potential for the development of oil palm plantations, but development must consider regulations and environmental impacts. Further research recommendations include an evaluation of the socio-economic impacts, biodiversity, and climate change on the sustainability of oil palm plantation development in Ketapang Regency
Yuwono et al. (Wed,) studied this question.