For over 20 years, Bustar Maitar has been campaigning for social justice and environmental protection for Indonesia, working closely with communities on natural resources management from grassroots level to global movement. Founded the Papua-based NGO, PERDU in 1998, he then was recruited as the first staff of Greenpeace Indonesia office in 2005. Bustar spent more than 11 years campaigning for global zero deforestation that successfully led the organization’s efforts to work with the Indonesian government and industries implementing the May 2011 moratorium on the conversion of natural forests. He led Greenpeace International team transformed top multinational customer companies and major producer companies aligned with global zero deforestation efforts in their supply chain, resulting around 75% of global traded palm oil and 80% of Indonesia pulp and paper production became deforestation-free products.

Bustar founded EcoNusa Foundation in 2017 focusing on forest, ocean, renewable energy, health, and education initiatives to save the last frontier of intact forests in Eastern Indonesia. In 2017 - 2022, EcoNusa supported local governments in Papua to review and revoke of 2.5 times of Los Angeles palm oil concession areas containing about 70 million tons carbon, and facilitated customary land mapping of almost half of million hectares of forests. Through its socio eco-enterprise, Kobumi Enterprise, EcoNusa promotes sustainable local economic development models based on indigenous peoples' environmental stewardship and values, from local commodities trading, indigenous youth-owned eco-tourism business, to revolving fund programs for nature-based Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in Papua and Maluku regions.