Kampung Harimau: The Land of the Tigers

At the edge of the forests surrounding Kerinci Seblat National Park, a new conservation story is taking root—one where protecting wildlife and improving community livelihoods go hand in hand.

Kampung Harimau, meaning “Tiger Village,” is a community-based conservation initiative that brings together local people, conservationists, government, and the private sector to create a future where forests remain standing and communities can thrive. Here, the Sumatran tiger is not only a symbol of the forest, but a shared responsibility and a source of pride.

Through ecotourism, sustainable agroforestry, and tiger-friendly coffee, Kampung Harimau creates opportunities for communities to benefit directly from protecting the landscape. Coffee gardens grown beneath forest shade provide sustainable livelihoods while maintaining habitat connectivity and reducing pressure on natural forests. Ecotourism opens new opportunities for homestays, local guides, community enterprises, and environmental education, allowing visitors to experience the landscape while contributing to its protection.

At the heart of Kampung Harimau are the people who know and live alongside the forest. Community members are involved in forest patrols, wildlife monitoring, environmental education, and efforts to prevent threats such as poaching, snaring, and habitat degradation. By combining local ecological knowledge with science and technology, the initiative strengthens the capacity of communities to become active guardians of their own natural heritage.

Kampung Harimau also recognizes that long-term tiger conservation depends on creating meaningful benefits for people. A healthy forest can provide more than wildlife habitat—it can support livelihoods, strengthen local identity, create economic opportunities, and build a more positive relationship between people and tigers.

This is more than a village beside a national park. It is a model of coexistence, where conservation becomes part of community development and where protecting the tiger means protecting the future of the people who share its landscape.

Kampung Harimau — The Land of the Tigers.
Where forests are protected, communities prosper, and tigers have a future.