About this programme
The Malayan tiger (Panthera tigris jacksoni) can only be found in Peninsular Malaysia and was recognised in 2004 as the 9th sub-species. In the 1950s, there was an estimated 3,000 Malayan tigers roaming in the forest, but as of today, less than 150 remaining tigers are believed to have survived. This number has not been confirmed for certain.
The number is steadily decreasing poaching, illegal trade of tiger parts and habitat loss, which subsequently leads to human-wildlife conflict. Hence, Maybank took action and collaborated with one of the NGOs that is working to conserve and restore Malaysia’s rich biodiversity, WWF-Malaysia in 2016.
The partnership aims to conserve the Malayan tiger population in the Belum-Temengor Forest Complex, a priority site for tiger under National Tiger Conservation Action Plan. WWF-Malaysia will also lobby for conservation measures such as better protection access in the forest, enhancement of ecological linkages, and better logging practices. Being one of its kind, this is the only NGO-led tiger conservation programme in the site with the highest tiger density in Malaysia. WWF-Malaysia also engages with the local indigenous communities in Belum-Temengor to raise their awareness and explore sustainable livelihoods for their long-term benefits.
In order to strengthen the tiger conservation efforts, Maybank Foundation and WWF-Malaysia have developed our own strategies that will further assist in the conservation of tigers.
One of the strategies is to gradually increase patrolling efforts from 1,500 km to 3,000 km per year. Through these planned efforts, we hope to save more tigers that are currently in the Belum-Temengor Forest Complex.
Thus, it creates public awareness on tiger conservation and to inform the public about Maybank’s initiative as a responsible corporate entity to conserve the tiger population. The other strategy was to reduce poaching threats and report any wildlife crimes to Department of Wildlife and National Parks (PERHILITAN) as previously, there were many crime cases reported such as foreigner campsites, illegal hunting, and the increasing number of tiger poaching activities. In the future, we hope to create more campaigns that would encourage the public to raise much awareness about the dwindling number of wild tigers in Asia as an important part of the programme.
Besides that, we planned to obtain the baseline level of conservation awareness among the Orang Asli (indigenous) communities and engage with their communities to form a core group of sustainable livelihood participation. One of the methods of collecting these data is by conducting workshops for the villagers, in regards of their gender, to establish community-based groups for Orang Asli in Belum-Temengor. Furthermore, the local communities agreed to run surveys in order to gain access to the level of awareness on tiger poaching and also participate in an anti-poaching system. In order to strengthen Maybank’s engagement with the communities, several of the villagers were interviewed to understand more about their level of awareness.
Anticipated Results of the Strategic Plan
The establishment of systematic and effective protection measures through the usage of SMART patrolling to reduce poaching activities by at least 50%.
Capacity building on SMART and other anti-poaching initiatives to enable enforcement agencies to carry out more efficient patrolling.
The tiger population in Temengor experienced a 50% increase, and the number of tigers in Belum are maintained.
The level of conservation awareness among the local communities have increased by 50%.
Introduction of a potential sustainable livelihood model to empower local communities to help in conserving the surrounding forests.
Last but not least, the programme will be extended to the larger part of the Northern Banjaran Titiwangsa to ensure the long-term viability of tigers within that area, which is one of the largest contiguous forest complex in Peninsular Malaysia. We hope to achieve this by collaborating with the PERHILITAN, Perak State Parks Corporation, and the Economic Planning Unit of Perak.
Realising that the battle against extinction is far from over, Maybank via Maybank Foundation continues to advocate for increased tiger conservation efforts through the current Phase 3 of the programme.
The collaborative efforts of Maybank and WWF-Malaysia has resulted in the following :
The deployment of over 150 rangers across more than
Active snares deactivated
More than
Cameras were installed across Belum-Temengor over the past decade
Orang Asli (indigenous people) actively engaged in conservation & coexistence
In 2023, Royal Belum State Park received CA|TS accreditation, making Malaysia the first country in Southeast Asia to adopt this global tiger conservation standard.
One notable outcome from the partnership occurred when in 2023, the Royal Belum State Park was awarded the prestigious Conservation Assured |Tiger Standards (CA|TS) accreditation in recognition of its exceptional conservation efforts and commitment to tiger conservation. With this acknowledgment, Malaysia became the first country in Southeast Asia to implement CA|TS in the region.
Run for Tigers: The Long Run — more than 4,000 people came together in support of tiger conservation
More than 4,000 individuals took part in the 3rd edition of the Run for Tigers event, held at Putrajaya Wetlands Park on 2 August 2026, co-organised by Maybank and WWF-Malaysia.
His Royal Highness Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah, patron of WWF-Malaysia, together with Her Royal Highness Raja Permaisuri Perak Tuanku Zara Salim flagged off the 5km and 10km races, before proceeding with a leisurely walk and visiting the various interactive exhibits at the venue.
As part of this year’s Global Tiger Day celebrations, the run served as a meaningful milestone, marking 10 years of partnership between Maybank and WWF-Malaysia in their ongoing efforts to protect the critically endangered Malayan tiger in the Belum-Temengor Forest Complex.
Themed “The Long Run”, the event was also attended by Datuk Wira Anis Rizana Mohd Zainudin @ Mohd Zainuddin, Secretary-General of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability (NRES); Tan Sri Dato’ Sri Ir. Zamzamzairani Mohd Isa, Chairman of Maybank Group and Maybank Foundation; and Tan Sri Abdul Wahid Omar, WWF-Malaysia Chairman; Dato’ Sri Khairussaleh Ramli, Maybank President and Group Chief Executive Officer, members of Maybank Group Board of Directors and EXCO, along with Maybank Foundation Board of Trustees.
