Vumilia Masanula is a seasoned financial management professional with over 20 years of experience in donor-funded conservation and development projects. Since 2015, she has served as a Project Accountant with the Frankfurt Zoological Society (FZS), where she has supported major conservation initiatives across Tanzania, including in the Serengeti, Selous, Nyerere and Mahale ecosystems. Her role has positioned her at the intersection of financial accountability, wildlife protection and community engagement. Through both her professional work and early research interests, she has developed a deep understanding of the strengths and challenges associated with community-based conservation. A central focus of her work is the collapse of the Mbomaminjika Wildlife Management Area (WMA), which once united nine villages in Southern Tanzania. This case sparked her research interest in exploring the underlying causes of the WMA’s failure specifically issues related to governance, benefit-sharing, financial transparency and the degree of community involvement. Driven by both technical expertise and practical field experience, she aims to contribute meaningful insights into the design and sustainability of future community-led conservation efforts in Tanzania and beyond. Her work emphasizes the importance of meaningful community involvement where local people have genuine ownership, a voice in decision-making and shared responsibility as a foundation for effective, transparent and sustainable conservation outcomes.