Who We Are
For us, conservation is not merely about protecting forests and wildlife, but about empowering the people who live and depend alongside them. Sumatra Rainforest Institute (SRI) serves as a collaborative platform for professionals, activists, and indigenous communities united in defending critical landscapes across Sumatra.
We believe that effective environmental protection is rooted in local self-reliance, a deep respect for indigenous wisdom, and consistent collective action. By acting and working locally to contribute globally, we are committed to safeguarding Sumatra’s ecosystems as a vital contribution to the future of our planet and shared well-being.
Our Team
Our organizational structure ensures that strategic wisdom perfectly aligns with impactful field execution. Our team is structured across three vital pillars:
Founder – Inspiring our core values and guiding the institute’s enduring vision
Rasyid Assaf Dongoran (Rado)
Founder
This organization was founded on a fundamental belief: we cannot save forests and wildlife at the expense of human well-being, nor can we do the reverse. True conservation is born when frontline communities see that protecting nature is the best way to secure their own future. Our task is not to fence nature off from humanity, but to reweave a harmony where a thriving ecosystem and empowered communities grow together as one
Executive Board – Managing institutional direction, partnerships, and high-level program governance
Donny Saputra
Executive Director
Dony Saputra is a professional who has been appointed and established by the Board of Founders as the Executive Director of the Sumatra Rainforest Institute (SRI) since 2021, a position he continues to hold to this day.
Academically, he earned his Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Sociology in 2007 and a Master of Science (MSc) in Rural Sociology in 2014.
His professional development encompasses various specialized training programs, seminars, and workshops focused on participatory mapping, orangutan habitat conservation, community rights to natural resources, timber legality, and wildlife crime law enforcement. Prior to serving as the Executive Director at SRI, he worked as the Coordinator of the Leuser Lestari Foundation (2014–2020) and as the Head of the Monitoring and Investigation Division at the same organization (2010–2012). His organizational track record highlights deep involvement in independent forest monitoring networks and environmental advocacy in Indonesia. Currently, this includes serving as the North Sumatra Focal Point for the Independent Forest Monitoring Network (JPIK) from 2015 to the present
Siska Pebriani
Head of Finance - Administation
Siska Pebriani is a professional with experience in administrative and financial management for various nature conservation projects. Her educational journey began with completing a Bachelor’s degree in Economic Education in 2014, followed by pursuing a Master’s degree in Management.
From the beginning of her career, Siska’s work has been centered at the Sumatra Rainforest Institute (SRI). She has built a solid track record in financial management, particularly within conservation organizations and donor-funded projects.
Her career path has progressed consistently, starting as Finance Staff, advancing to Finance Coordinator, and currently holding the position of Head of Finance and Administration. To support her professional duties, Siska is skilled in using Microsoft applications, accounting software, and Canva, and possesses a passive proficiency in English. She also strengthened her professional expertise by completing the Accurate Accounting Software version 5 training in 2023 and The Global Biodiversity Standard (TGBS) training in 2024
Project Implementation Team – Turning strategies into tangible success through active, everyday conservation work in our target landscapes
Tawanli Simanullang
Project Manager
Project Manager for Development of a Wildlife Corridor to Connect the Dolok Sibual-Buali Nature Reserve and the West Block Batangtoru- BBOP (Phase III).
Tawanli Simanullang is a seasoned professional with experience in forest restoration, community assistance for forest-edge populations, and the drafting of planting activity designs in North Sumatra from 2013 to the present. He holds a Bachelor’s degree (BSc) in Forestry and a Master’s degree (MSc). He has completed various professional trainings, including Cooperative Assistance, Farmer Group Assistance Facilitation, and the Global Biodiversity Standard in 2024. Throughout his career working in nature conservation NGOs, he began as a field staff member in 2016, advanced to coordinator, and has been serving as the Project Manager at the Sumatra Rainforest Institute (SRI) from 2021 to the present. He possesses strong expertise in team leadership, swift communication, interacting with diverse community groups, and building positive relationships with both government and non-government institutions.
Feny Maylinda Sitompul
Project Coordinator
Project Coordinator for Scaling up Collaborative Conservation of Batangtoru Landscape (Phase I) & Advancing Collaborative Protection of Tapanuli Orangutans and the Batang Toru Ecosystem (Phase II).
Feny earned her Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree in Biology Education from the Faculty in 2014. Feny is proficient in operating Microsoft Office Word, Microsoft Excel, and PowerPoint, as well as The Global Biodiversity Standard 2024. Her career journey in the NGO sector began as an Administration and Finance Assistant, and from 2022 to the present, she has served as a Project Coordinator at the Sumatra Rainforest Institute.
Hesti Triany
Project Coordinator
Hesty Triany is a creative and science-driven professional specializing in forest conservation, combining spatial analysis, data attribution, georeferencing, and advanced geoprocessing to support environmental initiatives
She holds an academic foundation in forestry and environmental science, featuring a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) in Forestry with a focus on Forest Resource Conservation, followed by a Master of Science (M.Sc.) in Natural Resource Conservation and Management. Her professional career began as a GIS Officer from 2019 to 2020, after which she advanced to a Project Coordinator role starting in 2021, leading multi-phase wildlife corridor development and biodiversity offset management plans connecting the Dolok Sibual-Buali Nature Reserve and the West Block Batangtoru Protection Forest
Technical Skills: Complementing her field and coordination experience, she holds a 2024 certification in The Global Biodiversity Standard (TGBS) from the Botanical Garden, alongside technical proficiency in Microsoft Office, GPS field operations, and ArcGIS.
Meli Mandasari Harahap
Project Coordinator
Meli Mandasari Harahap is a dedicated Project Coordinator and community development professional who earned her Bachelor of Agriculture degree with a major in Agrotechnology.
She has participated in various specialized technical training programs on organic fertilizer manufacturing, plantation nursery management, and computer skills, equipping her with a strong technical foundation in agricultural and environmental sciences. Meli has built a solid career spanning over a decade in community empowerment and environmental public service. Her credentials include targeted training in cooperative and accounting management (2017), basic training for non-civil servant candidates in Cisarua, Bogor (2018), and specialized training for the Indonesian Appraisal Code of Ethics and Standards in Jakarta (2019). She began her professional journey at the Sumatra Rainforest Institute (SRI) as a Community Development Officer in Panyabungan (2014–2017). She expanded her public sector experience as a Non-Civil Servant Government Employee (PPNPN) serving as a Promoter for the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (2018–2020) as well as the Environmental Fund Management Agency under the Ministry of Finance (2020).
Returning to her career at the Sumatra Rainforest Institute (SRI) in April 2021, she currently serves as a Community Development Coordinator.