A David and Goliath tale following fearless Indonesian eco-activist Farwiza Farhan and her battle to protect Sumatra’s last pristine rainforest against corporations seeking to destroy it for profit.
Caution Advised
5 minutes
English
Additional info
Indonesia’s Leuser Ecosystem is one of the most biodiverse on Earth - it's the last place where critically endangered Sumatran orangutans, tigers, elephants and rhinos all coexist in the same habitat.
But it is also a battleground between big corporations that seek to destroy it for profit, and an alliance of Forest Guardians led by Sumatran native, eco-activist and Whitley Award winner Farwiza Farhan, who are fighting hard to protect one of the world’s most crucial ecosystems.
Farwiza is one of the most fearless environmental activists of her generation, at 24 years of age, she began leading this fight in a country where environmental activists get murdered for challenging corporate interests.
This is a true David and Goliath tale - where one woman wins against big corporations, to protect an ecosystem facing devastating industrial development - from paper plantations to mining and palm oil - which threatens not just the ecosystem, but the wellbeing and livelihoods of the native Sumatrans living there.
Tragically our global economy views this UNESCO protected wilderness as a resource that needs to be exploited and destroyed for profit. In 2012, a company operating there, burned down 1000 hectares of irreplaceable rainforest, clearing the land for palm oil plantation.
Farwiza fought the system by both focusing on ground level species protection and through high-level legal advocacy. Firstly she built a grassroots community movement to fight the destruction and protect the rainforest. Next, the movement succeeded in advocating for law enforcement against palm oil companies that caused huge forest fires. Finally, she launched a civil lawsuit to empower local communities to have meaningful involvement in policymaking.
For the first time in Indonesian law, grassroots defenders of the environment won a legal battle against corporations that wreak havoc on rainforests. The palm oil companies were fined US $26million and new protections are now enshrined in Indonesian law.
Farwiza’s work through the Forest, Nature and Environment Aceh Foundation (Yayasan HAkA) has taken on big industry and governments to protect this land. Her work has won her awards and featured in Leonardo Dicaprio’s documentary ‘Before the Flood’.
Categories
WaterBear Impact Shorts
Location
Indonesia
Countries
The Netherlands
Production Company
Off the Fence Productions
Language
English
Year of Production
2020
Parental rating
Caution Advised
Caution Advised
5 minutes
English
Additional info
Indonesia’s Leuser Ecosystem is one of the most biodiverse on Earth - it's the last place where critically endangered Sumatran orangutans, tigers, elephants and rhinos all coexist in the same habitat.
But it is also a battleground between big corporations that seek to destroy it for profit, and an alliance of Forest Guardians led by Sumatran native, eco-activist and Whitley Award winner Farwiza Farhan, who are fighting hard to protect one of the world’s most crucial ecosystems.
Farwiza is one of the most fearless environmental activists of her generation, at 24 years of age, she began leading this fight in a country where environmental activists get murdered for challenging corporate interests.
This is a true David and Goliath tale - where one woman wins against big corporations, to protect an ecosystem facing devastating industrial development - from paper plantations to mining and palm oil - which threatens not just the ecosystem, but the wellbeing and livelihoods of the native Sumatrans living there.
Tragically our global economy views this UNESCO protected wilderness as a resource that needs to be exploited and destroyed for profit. In 2012, a company operating there, burned down 1000 hectares of irreplaceable rainforest, clearing the land for palm oil plantation.
Farwiza fought the system by both focusing on ground level species protection and through high-level legal advocacy. Firstly she built a grassroots community movement to fight the destruction and protect the rainforest. Next, the movement succeeded in advocating for law enforcement against palm oil companies that caused huge forest fires. Finally, she launched a civil lawsuit to empower local communities to have meaningful involvement in policymaking.
For the first time in Indonesian law, grassroots defenders of the environment won a legal battle against corporations that wreak havoc on rainforests. The palm oil companies were fined US $26million and new protections are now enshrined in Indonesian law.
Farwiza’s work through the Forest, Nature and Environment Aceh Foundation (Yayasan HAkA) has taken on big industry and governments to protect this land. Her work has won her awards and featured in Leonardo Dicaprio’s documentary ‘Before the Flood’.