Hassan Nkussa sits in a conference room on the fourth floor of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism. On the door of the conference room a panel reads "Selous", the name of the largest game reserve in the country, but inside the interior is drab. Nine tables form a "U" shape and around them sit an assortment of mismatched, faux-leather chairs. The unadorned, dirty white walls are the antithesis of the vast reserve after which the room is named, with no images—or reminders—of the wildlife that the ministry is charged with protecting.

Mr. Nkussa has short, clipped hair, a light salt-and-pepper moustache and carries a briefcase. He is an attorney by trade, and ...