Kampung Harimau (Tiger Village) is a community-led conservation initiative and the first government-declared Tiger Friendly Village in Indonesia, established to place local communities at the heart of Sumatran tiger protection. The initiative recognizes that long-term tiger conservation depends not only on protecting forests, but also on strengthening the communities living alongside them.
At the heart of Kampung Harimau is the Tiger Team, a group of trained local forest guardians who help monitor forests, support wildlife protection, identify potential threats, and promote coexistence between people and tigers. By combining local ecological and traditional knowledge with conservation science, the Tiger Team gives communities a direct role in safeguarding tiger habitat.
Women are also key agents of change through environmental education and local enterprise. Women lead conservation education for children and families, building awareness of forests, wildlife, and peaceful coexistence with tigers. Through the Women’s Coffee Garden Program, women grow coffee in their own backyards and home gardens, transforming household spaces into productive, biodiversity-friendly gardens while creating opportunities for additional income.
Kampung Harimau also promotes sustainable agroforestry, homestays, and nature-based ecotourism, with opportunities for conservation benefits to support village priorities. By linking conservation with livelihoods, education, and community leadership, the initiative creates practical incentives for protecting forests and reducing threats to wildlife.
At its core, Kampung Harimau is built on the belief that communities should not simply be beneficiaries of conservation, but partners, leaders, and stewards of their own landscapes. By bringing together local knowledge, science, women’s leadership, environmental education, sustainable livelihoods, and community action, the program aims to build resilient communities and safer habitats where people, forests, and Sumatran tigers can thrive together.