SINTAS Indonesia is a leading force in wildlife conservation, recognized for its innovative, community-centered approach to protecting one of the world’s most iconic and critically endangered species: the Sumatran tiger. Awarded 1st place in the competition, SINTAS Indonesia’s tiger conservation initiative is guided by the internationally recognized Conservation Standards, blending rigorous science, cutting-edge technology, and deep-rooted community partnerships to address the complex challenges facing tigers and people in West Sumatra.
At the heart of SINTAS Indonesia’s work is a commitment to landscape-scale solutions that reconnect fragmented forests and reduce human–wildlife conflict. Through strategic planning, collaborative action, and capacity-building with local communities and government agencies — including the West Sumatran Conservation of Nature Resources Agency — the organization cultivates a shared vision where both people and tigers can thrive. By bringing together local insight and ecological expertise, SINTAS Indonesia not only safeguards critical tiger habitat but also supports resilient livelihoods and long-term coexistence.
Their model demonstrates how thoughtful conservation, rooted in partnership and evidence-based decision-making, can achieve measurable impact for endangered wildlife and the communities that share their landscapes.
SINTAS Indonesia’s Photo Story
Technology Guiding Tiger Conservation
Through the lens of a camera trap, a Sumatran tiger stands centered in the frame, moving quietly along its natural route. Each recorded moment becomes a valuable data point, guiding science-based decisions and demonstrating that technology — when paired with local insight — can help shape conservation success.
A Landscape of Coexistence
An aerial view reveals the full scale of our conservation landscape — forest, farmland, and community lands interwoven. It stretches across West Sumatra, where Sumatran tigers live within their natural habitat.
Connection and Balance
The story of this place is one of connection — between ecosystems, people, and the actions needed to sustain them both. Balancing that connection is not an easy road to travel, but it is a powerful story to explore.
Fragmented Forests, Fragile Futures
Once-continuous forests here are now splintered into isolated patches, forcing tigers into smaller and increasingly risky spaces. Human expansion and land conversion cut across age-old migration paths, creating a fragile balance in which both biodiversity and local livelihoods are at stake.
Partnerships for Sustainable Protection
We work side by side with local communities and forestry government agencies at every level — from national leadership to grassroots partners — including the West Sumatran Conservation of Nature Resources Agency. Together, we strengthen the capacity for effective wildlife protection, develop strategic action plans, and set measurable milestones to balance community needs with the long-term sustainability of key species.
Building Conservation Through Shared Knowledge
The planning and preliminary process blends scientific approaches with practical field skills and capacity building, alongside locally shared knowledge — transforming conservation into a joint investment in safety and sustainability.
Guided by Science in the Field
To implement our strategic direction and apply a scientific approach, we use the Conservation Standards to guide our work in West Sumatra. With a clear plan in place, our team ventures deep into the forest to install camera traps, seeking to trace the secret paths of the Sumatran tiger. Every photo and video captured carries the same question: Can they still survive in the wild they call home?
Strengthening Coexistence Beyond the Forest
Outside the forest, we work hand in hand with local communities to build communal livestock pens — tiger-proof enclosures that keep animals safe and trust intact. Over time, the tiger is no longer feared, but respected as a living guardian of the forest’s future.
Preserving an Iconic Species
Along with the conservation action in grassroot level and the scientific approaches, the shy forest dwellers pause in the dappled light, a testament to the enduring presence of hidden biodiversity. Their existence proves that progressive conservation is making a difference. Each sighting is a reminder that safeguarding habitat protects not only iconic species, but entire webs of life that remain unseen.
The future of Tigers
On the other hand, this cryptic creature is thriving sustainably in the forest by reproduction in their natural habitat due to our efforts to keep the forest intact and interconnected.
“The Conservation Standards give us a guideline on how to set up a clear, achievable conservation goals toward the only tiger that remains in Indonesia, the Sumatran Tiger. We can track the milestones as well as what works and what doesn’t. We manage to identify the most effective strategy that we can apply to protect this endemic and critically endangered species, its habitat, and to support its surrounding local community.” – SINTAS INDONESIA
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