Nurturing Landscapes, Building Legitimacy: The Architecture of Social-Ecological Resilience, A Multiple-Case Study of Community Involvement and Development Programs across Pertamina Hulu Rokan Zona 1

Abstract

Climate change exposes upstream oil and gas operations to interdependent ecological and social risks. This study examines how environmental community development portfolios generate social-ecological resilience and under what conditions they strengthen Social License to Operate (SLO). A multiple-case design compares six operating areas of Pertamina Hulu Rokan Zona 1 using 2025 program data, impact reports, monitoring records, and social-operational risk documents. Within-case analysis and cross-case pattern matching integrate the Sustainability Compass dimensions, Nature, Economy, Wellbeing, and Society with Acceptance, Deterrence, and Prominence. The study identifies six context-specific pathways and three recurrent mechanisms: ecological buffering, livelihood conversion, and institutional anchoring. Ecological outputs become durable when they reduce exposure, are translated into food, income, health, safety, or learning, and are maintained through local groups, rules, and multi-stakeholder partnerships. These mechanisms respectively reinforce risk reduction, perceived relevance, and institutional legitimacy. The findings show that community development does not automatically produce social acceptance; it supports SLO only when operational impacts are addressed separately, procedural fairness is maintained, and local capacities can sustain benefits. The paper contributes a NEWS–ADP–SLO model for designing climate-responsive community development across heterogeneous upstream landscapes.