Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities

The involvement of indigenous people and local communities fosters a harmonious coexistence between humans and wildlife, creating a successful model of conservation in Pahang.

Human-Wildlife Coexistence

The Tiger Reserve invigorates the economy of Upper Tembeling by providing tourism nodes along the Tembeling River beyond the established nature gateway of the Taman Negara National Park. Tourism offerings and spending in Upper Tembeling villages – Kampung Pagi, Kampung Kuala Sat, Kampung Bantal, Kampung Kuching, Kampung Gusai and Kampung Mat Daling – have excellent potential to be positioned as a community-driven ecotourism corridor and provide opportunities for employment and stimulate economic activity.

Upper Tembeling has the potential to leverage its distinctive natural, historical, and cultural resources, with the economy of the villages largely based on natural resources and services linked to the river. A large majority of the population is actively involved in providing boat services, accommodation, fishing excursions, and waterfall trips to supplement their livelihoods. They play a valuable role in public education and awareness, powering Citizen Science efforts to share biodiversity information, and disseminating messages about responsible tourism.

Shared Responsibility

Central to the conservation efforts in the Tiger Reserve is acknowledging the integral role of indigenous peoples and local communities in safeguarding our natural heritage, and leveraging their knowledge and practices to implement and scale-up all activities on the ground. This is achieved through collaborating with and learning from communities that live there to foster a sense of shared responsibility and cultivate a lasting commitment.

The indigenous peoples and local communities are key stakeholders whose participation is central to the Tiger Reserve meeting its objectives. Hence, it is vital that an effective long-term programme is established to ensure the local population participate in the decisions that affect them. This includes addressing human-wildlife conflict and supporting programmes for education, training, and microcredit for business development.