Environmental Justice at the Bioenergy-Biomass-Agroforestry Nexus: A Contemporary Integrative Review of Ecosystem Trade-Offs, Governance, And Circular Bioeconomy Pathways
Authors: Abdul Samad Hiola, Abdul Haris Panai, Sukirman Rahim, Marini Susanti Hamidun, Mahludin H. Baruwadi
Journal: Journal of Natural Science and Research Review (JNSRR)
Published: 2026-05-25 · Volume 2, Issue 05, pp. 138-145
DOI: 10.65150/EP-jnsrr/V2E5/2026-01
Abstract
Bioenergy, biomass valorization, and agroforestry are increasingly promoted as linked pathways for decarbonization, rural development, climate adaptation, and circular bioeconomy transitions. However, these pathways may also redistribute environmental burdens, intensify competition over land and biomass, or marginalize communities when ecological limits and justice principles are treated as secondary concerns. This integrative review synthesizes literature on bioenergy, biomass supply chains, agroforestry, life-cycle and techno-economic assessment, participatory governance, and environmental justice. The review argues that the most defensible transition pathway is not generalized biomass expansion, but context-specific, multifunctional systems that combine agroforestry, sustainable residue use, appropriate conversion technologies, spatial planning, procedural safeguards, and benefit-sharing mechanisms. The synthesis develops a justice-centered assessment framework based on ecological suitability, feedstock legitimacy, technological proportionality, justice performance, and adaptive governance. The article concludes that biomass-based transitions are credible only when they are renewable, restorative, inclusive, and accountable.