This archive of reports of wildlife surveys in Namibia aims to:
Public access to information is a vital component of ensuring community engagement in prevalent issues. Wildlife surveys are critical to determine the health of wildlife populations and determine trends over time to guide conservation and management actions.
Wildlife surveys are done for different species using methods that are suited to counting them (e.g. by air or road) in their natural habitats. Such surveys need to be repeated over time to detect long-term trends and inform conservation managers. The Namibian government, non-governmental organisations and private reserves all conduct regular surveys covering different parts of Namibia and targeting different species. This archive will thus serve as a repository of our collective knowledge of the trends and status of a variety of species occurring throughout Namibia.
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Line transects were initiated in 2017 and represent almost half of the total area of the conservancy and include most of the waterholes. The area not covered by transects has low animal densities due to reduced habitat suitability and people pressure. Transect counts have recorded 25 species including 6 predator species. Based on average spoor sightings and Event Book records, hyaena are the most common predator, followed by wild dog, leopard and jackal. The top 3 species in terms of sightings between 2017 and 2022 included wildebeest, elephant and kudu.
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Nyae Nyae transect count 2022 Final.pdf | 670.9 KB |
Game counts in north-west Namibia: Conservancies south of the veterinary fence - May 2022.
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North West Game Count_South of Vet Fence 2022 final.pdf | 560.8 KB |
The fundamental purpose of game counts in communal areas is to inform conservancies and MEFT of wildlife trends for the purposes of adaptive management of resources. While estimates of species numbers are provided, these should only be considered as an approximate guide to species abundance.
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Kavango poster 2022 final.pdf | 651.24 KB |
Game counts in Bwabwata N.P. - August 2022.
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Zambezi Game Count_Bwabwata 2022.pdf | 632.72 KB |
Estimates were calculated for the current year using DISTANCE. In most cases at least the last 5 years of data were used in analysis to generate a detection profile for each species. Several conservancies have been grouped due to the low numbers of animals recorded. The bottom row of the table (hyphenated) numbers = 95% Confidence Intervals. In Sikunga, very few sightings have ever been recorded (60 for all species since 2011) and no sensible estimates for any species can be derived for this area.
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Zambezi Game Count_ East 2022.pdf | 522.67 KB |
Counts were undertaken at waterholes in the escarpment zone of north west Namibia. In 2018,18 waterholes in 7 conservancies were counted while in 2019, 2020 and 2021, the number of waterholes was increased to around 26 covering 10 conservancies. Counts were undertaken over a period of 2, 3 or 4 days during which time all animals seen were counted. Game species differ in the frequency with which they need to visit water resources with some able to acquire much of their hydration needs through foraging.
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Waterholes_NW_poster_2022_Final.pdf | 468.62 KB |
Nyae Nyae and N#a-Jaqna Conservancies - Full moon water counts 2022.
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Nyae Nyae waterhole 2022 Final.pdf | 597.64 KB |
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Game counts in north_west Namibia_Conservancies north of the veterinary fence_May 2021.pdf | 599.88 KB |
The fundamental purpose of game counts in communal areas is to inform conservancies and MEFT of wildlife trends for the purposes of adaptive management of resources. While estimates for some species are provided, these should only be considered as an approximate guide to species abundance.
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Zambezi Game Count_East 2021 final.pdf | 657.33 KB |
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Game counts in north_central Namibia_Total number of animals seen_last 5 years_July 2021.pdf | 865.86 KB |
The fundamental purpose of game counts in communal areas is to inform conservancies and MEFT of wildlife trends for the purposes of adaptive management of resources. While estimates of species numbers are provided, these should only be considered as an approximate guide to species abundance.
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Kavango poster 2021 final.pdf | 711.16 KB |
Wildlife populations in north-west Namibia were severely impacted in the 1980s by a combination of severe drought and poaching. Community conservation, formalised in 1996 through conservancies facilitated an increase in wildlife numbers through controlled utilisation and effective control of poaching. Between 1996 and 2012 most species experienced stable or growing population trends. However, a subsequent prolonged dry phase has resulted in a steady decline in populations of many game species. It is unclear how much illegal harvesting has contributed to this decline.
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Game counts in north_west Namibia regional summary_May 2021.pdf | 897.11 KB |
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Game counts in southern Namibia_May 2021.pdf | 786.81 KB |
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Game counts in north_west Namibia_Hobatere Concession_May 2021.pdf | 669.12 KB |
Line transects were started in 2017 and represent almost half of the total area of the conservancy and include most of the waterholes. The area not covered by transects has low animal densities due to reduced habitat suitability and people pressure. Transect counts have recorded 23 species including 6 predator species. Based on average spoor sightings hyaena are the most common predator, followed by leopard and wild dog.
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Nyae Nyae Game Count transect 2021.pdf | 765.3 KB |
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Game counts in north_west Namibia_Palmwag and Etendeka Conscessions_May 2021.pdf | 735 KB |
Counts were undertaken at waterholes in the escarpment zone of north west Namibia. In 2018,18 waterholes in 7 conservancies were counted while in 2019, 2020 and 2021, the number of waterholes was increased to around 26 covering 10 conservancies. Counts were undertaken over a period of 2, 3 or 4 days during which time all animals seen were counted. Game species differ in the frequency with which they need to visit water resources with some able to acquire much of their hydration needs through foraging.
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Waterholes_NW_poster_2021_final.pdf | 513.97 KB |
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Game counts in north_west Namibia_Conservancies south of the veterinary fence_May 2021.pdf | 638.72 KB |
The fundamental purpose of these annual game counts is to inform MEFT of general wildlife trends in the parks. While estimates for some species are provided, these should only be considered as an approximate guide to species abundance.
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Zambezi Game Count_Bwabwata 2021 final.pdf | 656.34 KB |
From 2016 onwards Bamunu (2) was included in counts. In 2018 the two Protected Areas Mudumu (7) and Nkasa Ruparo (8) were not included in counts. It is important to bear this in mind when interpreting tables, charts and a time series of posters.
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Zambezi Game Count_East 2019.pdf | 544.93 KB |
Summary of game counts in north-central Namibia: Total Numbers of animals seen: last 5 years.
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Game counts in north_central Namibia_Total Numbers of animals seen_last 5 years_2018.pdf | 850.88 KB |
Summary of game counts in north-west Namibia: Hobatere concessions area, June 2017.
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Game counts in north_west Namibia_Hobatere concessions area_June 2017.pdf | 1.06 MB |
Summary of game counts in Bwabwata NP, Dry season - Live sightings, 2016.
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Game counts in Bwabwata NP_dry season_Live sightings_2016.pdf | 1.04 MB |
Summary of game counts in north-west Namibia: Conservancies south of the veterinary fence, June 2016.
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Game counts in north_west Namibia_Conservancies south of the veterinary fence_June 2016.pdf | 893.65 KB |
Summary of game counts in north-west Namibia, July 2016.
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Game counts in north_west Namibia_July 2016.pdf | 988.19 KB |
Game counts in Bwabwata and Zambezi (Caprivi); dry season, live sightings. showing Numbers seen by conservation area, habitat, compared to 2013, population estimates and trends.
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Zambezi_game_count_poster_2014.pdf | 770.48 KB |
Game counts in Bwabwata and Caprivi; dry season, live sightings. showing Numbers seen by conservation area, habitat, compared to 2009, population estimates and trends.
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Caprivi game count poster 2010.doc | 380 KB |
Game counts in north-west Namibia, June 2010.
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NW_game_count_poster_2010.pdf | 2.27 MB |
Summary of game count in north west in 2007: route statistics, animals seen, population estimates, trends.
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NW game count poster 2007.pdf | 155.13 KB |