As the Chairperson and Co-Founder of Forest, Nature and Environment of Aceh (HAkA), Farwiza fights for a healthier Leuser Ecosystem. This is because it is the last place where several critically endangered species can still be found together: the tiger, orangutan, elephant and rhino. Currently a cultural anthropology doctorate candidate in the Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen, the Netherlands, she also has experiences working in a private company, the Parliament and other NGOs. For her holistic approach in conservation and sustainable development through advocacy, community empowerment and protection, Farwiza received Future for Nature Award in 2017 and the Whitley Award in 2016.  No stranger to bringing legal cases against plantation concessionaires, her 2012 case against an oil palm company that was clearing the forest illegally ended with them being fined a precedent-setting USD 26 million. Currently, Farwiza and her team are conducting a citizens’ lawsuit to revoke the Aceh Spatial Plan that threatens the Leuser with roads, hydropower schemes, oil palm concessions, and new settlements.
