The value that man places on nature is telling of how he treats it. Values reflect the preferences of a person, and underlie more specific attitudes, behavior and preferences. In the case of the human-tiger conflict in Sumatra, the values that will be discussed are that which people hold toward the natural environment (forests) as well as the wild tigers.

A broad characterization of values is proposed by Carolyn Merchant, who ventures to say that people generally possess 3 value orientations which reflect their overarching values in interactions with nature: eco-centric, anthropocentric and egocentric. On a more specific level, Kellert categorizes general values into 8 categories, according to the areas of nature in which man takes interest.

According to these categorizations, the actions of the Sumatrans most strongly reflect a egocentric, utilitarian value system, where the general concern lies in the materialistic and practical values of animals and nature as a whole, and interactions with wildlife are mostly for the benefit of the self. This is reflected in the incessant poaching of tigers and clearing of land to make way for new plantings, all of which to the Sumatrans are indirect means toward increased wealth. Even Sumatrans who hunt tigers out of vengeance do so for practical reasons of decreased disruptions to their day-to-day lives. Therefore, the values Sumatrans hold toward nature have resulted in the development of conflict between themselves and the Sumatran tigers over time.