Ruwi Ruwindrijarto
Indigenous communities protect 80% of Earth's biodiversity—yet less than 1% of climate finance reaches them. In the face of complex bureaucratic barriers, limited land rights, and economic pressures, even the best stewards get pushed toward poverty or forced land sales.
The Idea
Indigenous People's Corporations
Organization
Organization
Mitra BUMMA
The Mission
Thriving people, thriving ecosystems.
How It Works
Mitra BUMMA helps Indigenous tribal clans in Indonesia organize, eventually forming a BUMMA—a collectively-owned enterprise. Then they help them secure land rights, set up forest protection, and build sustainable businesses (e.g. carbon). Mitra BUMMA provides technical support, training, and capital throughout.
The Dream
Mitra BUMMA — and eventually other businesses — support indigenous communities across Indonesia as they organize into effective and profitable Bummas, with carbon buyers as their primary customers.
Why We Picked Ruwi
Ruwi is a veteran activist and social entrepreneur protecting Indonesia's forests. He co-founded Telepak (a Skoll winner) and spent decades building coalitions to reform extractive industries. After confronting the illegal logging mafia, he co-founded Mitra BUMMA to support Indigenous-owned corporations that protect forests while generating income. The Bummi structure is embedded in Indonesian law and making this structure operational is key to enabling indigenous people to benefit from carbon offsets and other non-timber sources of income.
