The endangered status of the Sumatran tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae) is not a trivial matter. The Javan and Bali tigers were lost forever though ignorance and neglect only a few decades ago. According to the best sources available, there are only 400-500 Sumatran tigers remaining in the wild. Poaching is ongoing and uncontrolled, and forest disturbance is continuing to divide these populations into ever smaller, fragmented populations. The smaller the population, the greater the vulnerability to poaching, inbreeding and severe environmental catastrophes. For these reasons, we need to focus on habitat preservation and restoration to save what is left.

In recognition of the tiger's critical situation, the Indonesian Government has attempted to prioritize the steps necessary for the species' effective conservation. These steps have been formalized in the Ministry of Forestry's Indonesian Sumatran Tiger Conservation Strategy published in 1994. The Strategy, which is still perfectly valid, addresses four broad categories of recommendations to ensure the long-term survival of Sumatran tigers within their remaining range. One of these addresses the need for field studies to better understand the ecology and conversation needs of wild tigers, the need to census wild tiger populations over their entire range in Sumatra, and the need to establish programs to resolve conflicts between tigers and their human neighbours. It is these aspects of the tiger's conservation that have been addressed over the last several years by the Sumatran Tiger Project.

The Sumatran Tiger Project is one of several projects of the Indonesian Sumatran Tiger Program. The program has a central coordinating committee that serves as the tiger conservation "umbrella" of Indonesia. All tiger projects fall under this committee's authority. Membership of the committee currently is comprised of three important Indonesian agencies: the Ministry of Forestry's and Estate Crops Directorate General of Forest Protection and Nature Conservation (PKA), representing the in situ conservation management authority; the Indonesiam Institute of Science (LIPI), representing the scientific authority; and Taman Safari Indonesia (TSI) representing the ex situ management authority. The central coordinating committee is responsible for providing oversight of all tiger projects in Indonesia, strategic planning on a national level, as well as setting policies for tiger conservation.