Arusha: Trophy hunting interests are intensifying the pressure on northern Tanzania's Maasai communities and wildlife corridor. Meanwhile, conservation efforts, although well-funded, are under scrutiny due to rising cases of Maasai evictions. According to Deutsche Welle, beyond Arusha, the safari capital, lies the road toward Kenya. Before reaching Longido, a dirt track veers into the savanna, where Mount Kilimanjaro's snow-capped silhouette marks the entrance to the Enduimet Wildlife Management Area (WMA). Established in 2007, the Enduimet WMA involves 11 Maasai villages in a community-based system long celebrated as a conservation model in Tanzania. Under its rules, 25-33% of revenue from tourism and hunting flows directly to village members through an elected body, unlike the 3% allocation in game reserves. However, recent cracks have emerged in this model. Between 2023 and 2024, five "super tuskers" - a critically rare elephant population with fewer than 30 individuals left - were found burned in the ar ea. A source, remaining anonymous, revealed these elephants were killed during trophy hunts authorized by the Tanzania Wildlife Management Authority (TAWA). The source stated, "Five licenses had been issued for the Enduimet area," and disclosed that the elephants' bodies were burned to prevent identification and media attention. TAWA did not respond to DW's request for comment. Kilombero North Safaris (KNS) is implicated, having organized a safari that killed at least two of the elephants. The company's owner, Akram Aziz, faced previous charges in Tanzania, including money laundering and possession of ivory and weapons. The case was settled with a fine. KNS asserts it practices "ethical hunting," but the elephant killings raise questions about Tanzania's WMA system. DW contacted KNS but received no response by publication time. Professor Bram Bscher, an expert on biodiversity conservation impacts, remarked that despite increased protected areas and conservation funding since 1960, the extinction crisis has worsened. He noted the disappearance of many insects, amphibians, and small mammals, which do not align with current economic priorities. Maasai communities face challenges with state authorities around Lake Natron, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, and the Serengeti border. In July 2024, the Enduimet WMA authority issued eight eviction orders, inciting protests that led to the destruction of the agency's local office. Enduimet WMA manager Igno Isaack Laitayok attributed the situation to "illegal agricultural expansion" by locals. However, Navaya Ole Ndaskoi from the Tanzanian NGO PINGOs Forum contradicted this, stating Maasai opposition to the WMA's establishment. WMAs emerged from Tanzania's wildlife-sector reforms of the 1990s, drawing on community-based conservation models promoted by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in other African countries. USAID funded the pilot phase with support for wildlife management plans and community ranger training. Despite being community-mana ged, Enduimet land remains under presidential trusteeship, limiting local decision-making power. Western funding faces scrutiny due to human rights violations, including violent evictions and preventing access to services, leading the European Commission to suspend conservation funding to Tanzania in 2024. Despite this, the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) continues operations in these areas through the SOKNOT-Unganisha project, funded by Germany's Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development. The project aims to protect wildlife corridors, including the Enduimet linkage. WWF project manager Novati Kessy emphasizes developing alternatives to hunting, promoting higher earnings through ecotourism. The SOKNOT-Unganisha program in Enduimet features a pilot project on wildlife credits in the Kitenden Corridor, supported by Ikea and the UK's Darwin Initiative. WWF asserts that wildlife credits transform conservation into direct community benefits, tying economic value to wildlife presence. Howev er, lawyer Joseph Oleshangay, experienced in Maasai land issues, criticizes the overlap of WWF projects and hunting activities, often collaborating with agencies involved in human rights violations like TAWA. Other international actors, including Survival International, view wildlife credits as commodifying nature, leaving communities reliant on donor and tourism flows without addressing structural land pressures. Kessy insists that WWF follows guidelines for the environment and local populations, ensuring communities understand projects thoroughly. But for the Maasai, newly imposed borders, permits, and regulations symbolize exclusion, turning their ancestral lands into assets for monetization. This reporting is supported by the Pulitzer Center and the Investigative Journalism for Europe fund (IJ4EU).