Indonesia’s Leuser Ecosystem is the last place on Earth where the critically endangered Sumatran rhino, tiger, elephant and orangutan still roam together in the wild. But the landscape faces existential threats from both large-scale infrastructure development and small-scale forest exploitation and palm oil expansion. HAkA mobilizes communities and pressures the government to adopt and enforce legal protections of vital forest ecosystems. Then they work with partners to protect and restore the forest, often converting local communities from illegal logging to agroforestry and farming.
Farwiza is a marine biologist turned forest conservationist. Before founding HAkA, she earned a Masters in Environmental Management and worked for the government’s Leuser Ecosystem Management Agency. In 2016, she won the Whitley Award to support HAkA’s work on legal advocacy, community rights, and conservation. True to her ocean-loving roots, she’s still an avid scuba diver and has logged over 800 dives since 2004.
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