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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Zambezi Game Count_East 2020.pdf | 937.73 KB |
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Nyae Nyae waterhole 2020.pdf | 946.21 KB |
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Southern Conservancy Game Count 2020.pdf | 818.01 KB |
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Nyae Nyae transect count 2020 final.pdf | 1.2 MB |
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North Central Game Count 2020.pdf | 1.06 MB |
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 and 2020, the number of waterholes was increased to 26 covering 10 conservancies. Counts were undertaken over a period of 2, 3 or 4 days during which time all animals seen were counted.
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Waterholes_NW_poster_2020 final.pdf | 509.47 KB |
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North West Game Count_Hobatere 2020.pdf | 623.55 KB |
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North West Game Count_Palmwag and Etendeka 2020.pdf | 682.97 KB |
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North West Game Count_South of Vet Fence 2020.pdf | 689.61 KB |
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North West Game Count_North of Vet Fence 2020.pdf | 679.95 KB |
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North West Game Count_Regional 2020.pdf | 693.43 KB |
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Hardap and Naute Game Count 2020.pdf | 774.7 KB |
Robust abundance estimates of wild animal populations are needed to inform management policies and are often obtained through mark–recapture (MR) studies. Visual methods are commonly used, which limits data collection to daylight hours and good weather conditions. Passive acoustic monitoring offers an alternative, particularly if acoustic cues are naturally produced and individually distinctive. Here we investigate the potential of using individually distinctive signature whistles in a MR framework and evaluate different components of study design.
Knowledge of a population’s abundance is of primary importance for conservation management. However, robust estimates of abundance are often difficult to obtain, especially for cetaceans which spend most of their lives submerged. Cetacean abundance is commonly estimated using aerial or vessel-based line transect surveys and distance sampling methods. During 2012–2014, the first line transect surveys to estimate cetacean abundance were conducted in Namibian waters.
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First Abundance Estimates of Heavisides and Dusky Dolphin off Namibia.pdf | 5.23 MB |
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Zambezi Game Count_Bwabwata 2020.pdf | 1.22 MB |
The year’s results show a significant decrease in animals counted (-37%) and overall population estimate (-19%). The game harvesting operations done in the preceding year would have contributed to the lower game numbers. The northern sections of the park (zone 6, 7, 8 and 9) received the most rain and thus an overwhelming majority (53%) of the animals were counted in this area. For the first time in 8 years the park’s modelled carrying capacity is higher than the total grazer biomass (stocking rate).
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Gondwana Canyon Park Game Count 2020_poster.pdf | 1.7 MB |
This year's game count results showed the drastic decrease in game numbers, with gemsbok numbers being down 86% compared to 2019 and plains zebra and wildebeest down 93% and 97% respectively. Red hartebeest have all disappeared from the park as most of them died, a few were harvested, and a few got onto neighbouring properties. Only giraffe managed to increase, as 4 more calves were born over the last year, bringing the total to 22. Naturally, successful reproduction in the other game species over the past season has been very low.
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Gondwana Kalahari Park Game Count 2020.pdf | 965.72 KB |
The rapid improvement of camera traps in recent decades has revolutionized biodiversity monitoring. Despite clear applications in conservation biology, camera traps have seldom been used to model the abundance of unmarked animal populations. The goals of this review are to summarize the challenges facing abundance estimation of unmarked animals, present an overview of existing analytical frameworks, and provide guidance for practitioners seeking a suitable method.
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Abundance estimation of unmarked animals based on camera_trap data.pdf | 1.35 MB |
Estimating abundance of wildlife populations can be challenging and costly, especially for species that are difficult to detect and that live at low densities, such as cougars (Puma concolor). Remote, motion‐sensitive cameras are a relatively efficient monitoring tool, but most abundance estimation techniques using remote cameras rely on some or all of the population being uniquely identifiable. Recently developed methods estimate abundance from encounter rates with remote cameras and do not require identifiable individuals.
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Estimating abundance of an unmarked_low_density species using cameras.pdf | 590.21 KB |
Leopards are among the most enchanting big cats in the world. Their beauty, raw power and elusiveness have fascinated humans through the ages. Our fascination with leopards is a double-edged sword for the big cat, however. The value we place on seeing this beautiful big cat draws tourists and provides funding for conservation.
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Counting Cats_An updated national leopard survey for Namibia.pdf | 2.58 MB |
An overview of elephant conservation and management in Namibia.
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An overview of elephant conservation and management in Namibia.pdf | 5.72 MB |
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January wetland bird count in the Mahango Game Reserve_Kavango.pdf | 291.82 KB |
Aerial census of west Etosha May 1986.
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Etosha NP_Aerial census 1986 05 west.PDF | 452.52 KB |
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Department Agriculture and Nature Conservation 1986.pdf | 2.77 MB |
September 1978 aerial census in the Etosha National Park with the aid of a helicopter and fixed wing aircraft.
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Etosha NP_Aerial census 1978 09.PDF | 1003.24 KB |
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Etosha NP_Aerial census 1978 09 maps.PDF | 2.85 MB |
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Etosha NP_Aerial census 1978 03.PDF | 547.56 KB |
The 319 510 tourists who visited the administration's game reserves and resorts during the year made 1978 a record year. The highest previous figure was in 1975, namely 314 218 tourists. In comparison with 1977 the number of tourists from Southwest Africa decreased by 2 208, while the number of tourists from the Republic and overseas increased by 25 389 and 9 639 respectively. Day visitors decreased by 13 966, whereas overnight visitors increased by 46 776.
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SWA Administration_1978.pdf | 645.31 KB |