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Namibian Wildlife Surveys archive

This archive of reports of wildlife surveys in Namibia aims to:

  • provide easy public access to published information and statistics
  • enable easy stakeholder access to recent and historical data on wildlife populations
  • provide a comprehensive archive of wildlife survey reports in Namibia

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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Displaying results 1 - 48 of 48
Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) 2020. Game counts in east Zambezi, Dry season - Live sighting, October 2020.
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Zambezi Game Count_East 2020.pdf 937.73 KB
Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) 2020. Nyae Nyae and N#A -Jaqna Conservancies full moon waterhole counts: 2020.
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Nyae Nyae waterhole 2020.pdf 946.21 KB
Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) 2020. Game counts in southern Namibia, May 2020.
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Southern Conservancy Game Count 2020.pdf 818.01 KB
Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) 2020. Game counts - line transects Nyae Nyae Conservancy, July 2020.
Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) 2020. Game counts in north-central Namibia, July 2020.
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North Central Game Count 2020.pdf 1.06 MB
Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) 2020. Full moon waterhole counts in northern Kunene, 2020.

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
Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) 2020. Game counts in north-west Namibia: Hobatere Concession, May 2020.
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North West Game Count_Hobatere 2020.pdf 623.55 KB
Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) 2020. Game Counts in north-west Namibia: Palmwag and Etendeka Concessions, May 2020.
Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) 2020. Game Counts in north-west Namibia: Conservancies south of the veterinary fence, May 2020.
Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) 2020.  Game Counts in north-west Namibia: Conservancies north of veterinary fence, May 2020.
Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) 2020. Game Counts in north-west Namibia: Regional summary, May 2020.
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North West Game Count_Regional 2020.pdf 693.43 KB
Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) 2020. Game counts: Kavango East, July 2020.
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Kavango poster 2020 final.pdf 1.17 MB
Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) 2020. Game counts in Hardap Game Park and Naute Recreation Resort, May 2020.
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Hardap and Naute Game Count 2020.pdf 774.7 KB
Longden EG, Elwen SH, McGovern B, James BS, Embling CB, Gridley T 2020. Mark-recapture of individually distinctive calls-a case study with signature whistles of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) . Journal of Mammalogy 101 (5) 1289-1301

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.

Martin MJ, Gridley T, Roux J-P, Elwen SH 2020. First abundance estimates of Heaviside's (Cephalorhynchus heavisidii) and Dusky (Lagenorhynchus obscurus) dolphins off Namibia using a Novel Visual and Acoustic Line Transect Survey . Frontiers in Marine Science

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.

Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) 2020. Game Counts in Bwabwata N.P.: Dry season - Live sightings, October 2020.
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Zambezi Game Count_Bwabwata 2020.pdf 1.22 MB
Gondwana Collection Namibia 2020. Gondwana Canyon Park Game Count 2020.

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).

Gondwana Collection Namibia 2020. Gondwana Kalahari Park Game Count 2020.

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
Gilbert NA, Clare JD, Stenglein JL, Zuckerberg B 2020. Abundance estimation of unmarked animals based on camera-trap data. Conservation Biology 35 (1) 88-100

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.

Loonam K, Ausband DE, Mitchell MS, Robinson HS 2020. Estimating abundance of an unmarked, low‐density species using cameras. The Journal of Wildlife Management

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.

Thomson G 2020. Counting Cats - An updated national leopard survey for Namibia. Conservation and the Environment in Namibia (2020)

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.

Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism (MEFT) 2020. An overview of elephant conservation and management in Namibia.

An overview of elephant conservation and management in Namibia.

Kolberg H 2010. Wetland Bird Counts in Namibia 3: Inland Wetlands . Lanioturdus 43 (4) 7-12

This is the third article in a series describing the results of regular wetland bird counts in Namibia and groups together inland sites where water is seasonally present as well as three sewage treatment plants. The article gives details for ten sites for which ten or more counts are available up to the end of 2008.

Kolberg H 2010. Summary of the summer 2010 wetland bird counts in Namibia . Lanioturdus 43 (4) 13, 28-33

January 2010 announced its arrival with welcome and wide-spread rain throughout Namibia. The result of this was that we were expecting bumper counts at many of the inland wetlands, although the two coastal heavyweights would be expected to contribute the majority in terms of numbers, as usual. During this count cycle 26 sites were counted, an increase on previous counts, in no small part due to the efforts of the Namibia Bird Club that is now counting many wetlands around Windhoek.

Kolberg H 2010. Wetland Bird Counts in Namibia 2: Perennial rivers and dams . Lanioturdus 43 (3) 21-26

This is the second article in a series describing the results of regular wetland bird counts in Namibia and groups together inland sites where water is present most of the time. The article gives details for two perennial river sites and nine dams for which ten or more counts are available up to the end of 2008.

Kolberg H 2010. Trends in Namibian Waterbird Populations 2: Grebes and Pelicans . Lanioturdus 43 (3) 8-41

The following is a summary of waterbird count data for selected species in Namibia, covering the period 1977 to December 2008. For each species the Red Data Book (RDB) status, both global and Namibian, is given, the population trend as per Wetlands International, the number of times the species was counted, the number of times it has passed the 1% population criterion, the maximum count and the sites where it has passed the 1% population criterion.

Kolberg H 2010. Trends in Namibian Waterbird Populations 1: Introduction and Overview . Lanioturdus 43 (2) 16-18

Data on wetland bird numbers has been collected in Namibia on an ad hoc basis since the early 1960's. Since 1991 regular counts have been conducted at several sites and thus a considerable amount of data has accumulated. This article and the ones to follow is a summary of the available data and an attempt to derive population trends for selected wetland bird populations. To date (July 2009), data from 1703 counts at 172 places has been entered into a database. A total of 177 different species of waterbird have been counted at these sites.

Kolberg H 2010. Summary of the 2009 Winter Wetland Bird Counts in Namibia . Lanioturdus 43 (2) 15-16

During the month of July 2009 volunteers once again participated in the winter wetland bird counts all over Namibia. A total of 27 wetlands were counted resulting in just over 99,000 birds of 87 species. The number of sites being counted is up thanks to the Namibia Bird Club, which is now conducting regular counts at Avis Dam, the Gammams (Windhoek) Sewage Works and Monte Christo. The Walvis Bay Ramsar site tops the list with over 50,000 birds, followed by Sandwich Harbour and the Mile 4 Saltworks.

Kolberg H 2010. Wetland Bird Counts in Namibia 1: Introduction and Overview . Lanioturdus 43 (2) 13-14

In more than 100 countries, millions of waterbirds are counted each year. Wetlands International coordinates the International Waterbird Census (IWC) throughout the world and the data is used to e.g. designate Wetlands of International Importance and Important Bird Areas. Namibia has participated in these counts since 1990 and hence a considerable set of data has accumulated. Data is on hand for 1703 (as at July 2009) waterbird counts at 172 sites in Namibia. The earliest counts are from 1976 and a peak in terms of sites counted was reached in 1995 when 73 wetlands were counted…

Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) 2010. Game counts in southern Namibia, May 2010 .

Poster summarising the results of the 2010 game count in the South.

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South game count poster 2010.pdf 585.11 KB
Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) 2010. Game counts in north-west Namibia, June 2010 .

Game counts in north-west Namibia, June 2010.

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NW_game_count_poster_2010.pdf 2.27 MB
Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) 2010. Game counts in Bwabwata and Caprivi - Dry season, 2010 .

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
Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) 2010. North West game count .

North West game count - map of sightings per species per 2x2km grid cell.

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Map_Sightings by species NW 2010.pdf 1.97 MB
Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) 2010. Caprivi Game Count Sightings - 2010 .

Maps showing live sightings of elephant, giraffe, kudu, roan, sable, buffalo, impala, reedbuck, tsessebe and zebra in the 2010 Caprivi game count.

Kolberg H 2010. Report on an aerial game count of Kaross, Etosha National Park, 14 December 2009.

The survey took two hours 54 minutes, which translates into a search rate of 1.6 km/min. The flight path was recorded on the GPS tracklog and is shown in Figure 2 (deviations from the transects are where rhino, elephant or large herds of animals were encountered). A total of 253 sightings were recorded during this time (Figure 3) which comprised 1539 animals of seventeen species (Table 1). Kaross game camp is 144 km² in size so the density of animals calculates to 10.7 animals/km². The distribution and herd size for selected species is shown in Figure 4 to Figure 11.

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Kaross_Aerial census 2009.pdf 2.53 MB
Gondwana Collection Namibia 2010. Gondwana Canon Park game count 2010.
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Gondwana Canon Park game count 2010.pdf 763.08 KB
Aschenborn OH-K 2010. Lion population census in Etosha National Park, 2010.
Kilian JW 2010. The use of GPS /Satellite collars to study the movement patterns of elephant in the Kunene Region in an integrated way to conserve elephants in a sustainable manner across a mosaic of landscapes.

This proposed study focuses on the elephants of the Kunene/Etosha cluster. The elephants outside Etosha is still largely a free ranging population over much of a 100 000 km² range. For the purpose of this proposal the study area (Figure 1) encompasses the extreme western area of Etosha, Skeleton Coast Park, communal conservancies, concessions and the private farming land south of Etosha. The average rainfall ranges from <50mm to 300mm. Recently, human-elephant conflicts have received a lot of attention in this Region.

2003. North West Game Counts, June 2003 .
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North_West_Game_Counts_June_2003.pdf 570.33 KB
Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) 2003. Game counts in north-west Namibia - June 2002 .

Summary of game count in north west in 2002: route statistics, animals seen, population estimates, trends.

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NW game count poster 2002.pdf 274.29 KB
Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) 2003. Bwabwata National Park Wet Season Game Count .

Poster summarising procedure, logistics and transects of Bwabwata National Park wet season game count.

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Poster_WCWS_count_Methodology_2003.ppt 2.31 MB
Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) 2003. Game counts in north-west Namibia - Methodology .

Road counts methodology poster.

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Poster_Road_counts_Methodology.jpg 1.31 MB
Gondwana Collection Namibia 2003. 2003 Game count in Gondwana Canon Park - Methodology.

A vehicle-based road count method is used. This method works well for common plains game but will not give good results for all species; especially smaller secretive animals, nocturnal animals, and animals in mountainous areas. Other monitoring methods (e.g. aerial census, foot patrols, specialist species monitoring) and local knowledge are also important. This means that the road counts will provide part of the information rather than replace these other methods - i.e. the methods all work together each providing a piece of the 'pie'.

1978. September 1978 lugsensus in die Nasionale Etoshawildtuin met behulp van 'n helikopter en a vaste vlerk vliegtuig.

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
1978. Helicopter census 18 - 23 September 1978 (Map).
1978. March 1978 game census in Etosha National Park, using a helicopter.
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Etosha NP_Aerial census 1978 03.PDF 547.56 KB
Berry H 1978. Wildebeest counts: 1978.
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Etosha NP_Aerial census 1978 03 CT.PDF 242.44 KB
1978. South West African Administration White Paper on the activities of the different branches for 1978.

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

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