LocationsInvesting in Communities to Sustain Thailand’s Tiger Recovery
When We Protect Tigers, We Protect Much More
September 8, 2026
Thailand’s tiger population is recovering. In 2026, at least 210 wild tigers were identified across the country’s protected forests, with the population estimated at 210-257—an encouraging result after years of sustained conservation and stronger protection. (source: https://www.thaipbs.or.th/news/content/508833)
But keeping that progress going will require more than protecting tigers and the forests where they live. It also depends on the people living around those forests having livelihoods that can thrive alongside nature.
Whether it is the land they own, the business they run, the activities they undertake, the plants they grow, or the amount of water they consume—every decision they make has an impact on tiger habitats.
Their business is also the tiger’s business.
Supported in Thailand by Germany’s International Climate Initiative (IKI) and Cartier Philanthropy for People and Nature, the Tiger Landscapes Investment Facility (TLIF) works with local enterprises across a range of services, from native forest restoration and medicinal herbs to nature-based tourism.
We support these enterprises to become viable, nature-positive businesses—strengthening their business capacities, connecting them with financial resources, and empowering them to become local business champions.
Through technical assistance and business development support, every dollar invested through TLIF is expected to unlock at least twice that amount in additional financing and business opportunities for supported local enterprises. For investment-ready businesses, access to green lending from financial institutions could bring in several times more capital.
By making nature-positive business practices commercially viable, we can help communities build sustainable livelihoods while protecting forests and reducing the economic pressures that can drive harmful activities in and around tiger habitats.
Ebba Scholl, Deputy Ambassador, German Embassy Bangkok
“Biodiversity doesn't come with a one-shot financial input—it only shows long-term effect if your financing is sustainable, in order to create sustainable communities that can co-live with tigers in a meaningful way,” said Ms. Ebba Scholl, Deputy Ambassador at the German Embassy Bangkok.
“We see that the tiger population largely depends on its communities in the affected areas, yet these communities are under immense economic pressure. Traditional conservation alone cannot close the gap. More targeted funding is needed, and a more holistic approach,” Scholl said.
Beyond Protected Areas
Across Thailand’s tiger landscapes, the pressures and opportunities differ from one place to another. TLIF focuses on the buffer zones around several of these forest complexes including the Western Forest Complex and Dong Phayayen–Khao Yai Forest Complex, where communities, farms and local businesses form part of the wider landscape that tigers depend on.
Through TLIF, that idea is taking shape in different ways.
Restoring Forests with Native Trees
In Chong Sadao, Kanchanaburi, community leader Wasan has seen the surrounding landscape change over his lifetime. Banteng once lived in the area but disappeared locally after years of hunting, while parts of the landscape became degraded and increasingly dry.
The community began trying to restore the forest, initially planting seedlings obtained from different agencies. Many were not native to the area and struggled to grow.
“That was when our community realized that we needed to restore the forest with native trees,” said Wasan.
The community turned to local species, including Makha Mong, a native tree that Wasan says retains water and is well suited to forest restoration. Over time, the forest began to recover.
The experience shows how local knowledge and community action can help restore landscapes—and how solutions that begin locally can have wider potential.
Growing Medicinal Herbs for Income
Along the forest edge of Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary in Uthai Thani, Somporn Puanglamyai, known as Motherae Tum, has found another way to make a living.
Born and raised in the area, Mother Tum previously grew conventional crops. Vegetable production meant dealing with weeds and insects and sometimes relying on chemical inputs. She eventually began experimenting with medicinal herbs.
“When we grew vegetables, weeds and insects were always a problem, so we sometimes relied on chemicals,” said Mae Tum. “But medicinal herbs don't require any chemicals. Over the past three or four years, I've shifted to growing medicinal herbs full-time.”
Her backyard herbal garden now provides a source of income. Mae Tum is part of a wider network around Huai Kha Khaeng that is growing and processing medicinal plants, providing another livelihood option for households living close to the forest.
The change has also affected how she sees her own work.
“I can honestly say this is a wonderful profession. It makes me feel valued,” said Mae Tum.
Her experience illustrates why livelihoods matter to conservation. Protecting nature over the long term also requires viable economic opportunities for people living alongside it.
Giving People a Reason to Value Nature
In Kanchanaburi, Wisarut “Khun” Mareerat approaches the relationship between people and forests from another direction: helping people experience nature for themselves.
His work combines immersive tourism, science education and activities that encourage visitors to take action for nature. The premise is straightforward: knowing a forest can give people a reason to care about what happens to it.
“What we hope to do is help people reconnect with nature—so they'll carry that forward to protect the forest and pass that commitment on to future generations,” said Khun.
Nature is therefore not simply something visitors come to consume. Tourism can create a relationship with the landscape while creating economic opportunities that depend on keeping it healthy.
Creating Value from Keeping Nature Intact
In Saraburi, communities around the Dong Phayayen–Khao Yai Forest Complex are exploring the same relationship in another way.
The province’s limestone mountains, tropical forests and wildlife are not only conservation assets. They can also support local economies when tourism is designed around keeping those natural assets intact.
Local partners are working with communities to develop ecotourism experiences around the distinct natural strengths of different areas. Boonmee sees tourism as a way to strengthen communities and build the local economy, while other members of the initiative see the forests themselves as the assets from which environmentally responsible tourism can be built.
“People depend on the forest, and the forest depends on people to protect it,” said Boonmee.
The idea is straightforward: when healthy forests contribute to local livelihoods, communities have an economic reason to keep those natural assets intact.
Taking Local Solutions Further
Native forest restoration, medicinal herbs, nature education and ecotourism are different activities, but they share an important principle: people are finding ways to make a living that can also help protect the landscapes around them.
That is where TLIF comes in.
Traditional conservation remains essential. Protected areas, wildlife management, law enforcement and habitat protection all play important roles in tiger conservation. TLIF complements those efforts by focusing on another part of the landscape—the communities and economic activities around the forests that tigers depend on.
The initiatives featured here are among local enterprises and organizations working in Thailand’s tiger landscapes. Through TLIF, the aim is to build on local innovations and partnerships so that their benefits can extend beyond individual activities and communities.
Conservation at this scale cannot be achieved by any one organization, government or community alone.
“When partners come together, we are able to turn local innovations into lasting and large-scale impact,” UNDP notes in the TLIF Thailand video.
A Future Shared with Tigers
A tiger deep inside Huai Kha Khaeng may never encounter Motherae Tum growing medicinal herbs, Wasan restoring native trees or communities developing ecotourism outside the forest.
But their futures are connected.
Thailand’s tiger recovery demonstrates what sustained conservation can achieve. Keeping that recovery going means protecting the forests themselves while also creating viable economic opportunities for the people who live around them.
When we protect tigers, we protect much more: healthy forests, thriving ecosystems, and the livelihoods that depend on them.