Malaysia has a decision to make: industrialization in the short-term or environmental preservation for the long-term. "Tracks in a Tiger Economy" looks at the challenges of protecting the endangered Malayan tiger in the wild, and demonstrates the vital connection between wildlife conservation and sustainable socio-economic development for this Southeast Asian nation. In particular, this film investigates the deforestation caused by the palm oil industry, and the high rates of tiger poaching that feed the illegal wildlife trade. An indigenous perspective is also considered, as the hunter-gathering, nomadic Orang Asli tribes of Peninsular Malaysia are under the same deforestation threats as the tiger. Protecting the Malayan tiger could be the answer to preserving forests, empowering indigenous communities, and overall set Malaysia on a more sustainable path.