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Summary of the 2015 Summer Wetland Bird Counts in Namibia.

Poster summarising the results of the 2015 south game count.

Poster summarising the results of the North West Waterhole game count.

Poster summarising the results of the 2015 North West game count - Southern areas.

Poster summarising the results of the 2015 North West game count - Northern areas.

Poster summarising the results of the 2014 North West game count in Concession areas.

Poster summarising the results of the 2015 North West game count.

Poster summarising game count results for the north Central conservancies in 2015.

Game counts in Khaudum North Complex showing numbers seen by conservation area, habitat, compared to previous years, population estimates and trends.

Game counts in East Zambezi (Caprivi); dry season, live sightings. showing Numbers seen by conservation area, habitat, compared to 2014, population estimates and trends.

Game counts in Bwabwata; dry season, live sightings. showing Numbers seen by conservation area, habitat, compared to 2014, population estimates and trends.

Many long-distance migrating shorebird (i.e., sandpipers, plovers, flamingos, oystercatchers) populations are declining. Although regular shorebird monitoring programs exist worldwide, most estimates of shorebird population trends and sizes are poor or nonexistent. We built a state-space model to estimate shorebird population trends. Compared with more commonly used methods of trend estimation, state-space models are more mechanistic, allow for the separation of observation and state process, and can easily accommodate multivariate time series and nonlinear trends.

An aerial survey of wildlife and domestic livestock took place in Zambezi Region from 25 th September to 4 th October 2015. A total area of 17474km2 was sampled at an average intensity of 13%. The estimates of numbers of each species are tabulated below. The number of elephants estimated has decreased since the 2014 survey, although the change is notstatistically significant. However there has been a very highly significant increase in the estimated number of elephant carcasses since 2014. Other observations suggest that illegal hunting of elephants continues to take place in the…

An aerial survey of wildlife and domestic livestock took place in the Khaudum National Park and its neighbouring conservancies from 6 th to 14 th October 2015. A total area of 12851km2 was sampled at an average intensity of 9%. The focus of the survey was on obtaining good estimates of elephant numbers. Other species were recorded although it is likely that their numbers would be underestimated (Craig and Gibson, 2013a).

Aerial stratified sample counts have been conducted since 1995 in Etosha. The 2015 aerial count of Etosha was conducted from 4 September till 21 September. Including the latter survey, a total of eight comparable multi-species counts have been completed since 1995.

Numbers of most species dropped during 2015 due to the effects of the drought & the lack of grazing. Although there were a few mortalities, many animals have moved to areas outside the park where conditions are more favourable. This is to be expected in an open system.

The work of this consultancy continues an overview of elephant populations that were recently surveyed in the Zambezi Region (Caprivi), Khaudum National Park and Nyae Nyae. That survey was a response to the escalating killing of elephants across the African elephant range (CITES 2012)1 including southern Africa. This illegal activity is being driven, both internally within Africa and externally by an illegal wildlife trade. Such trade has become highly criminalized involving corrupt politicians, private sector syndicates and inept &/or corrupt bureaucrats.

As part of the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA TFCA) the Mudumu Complexes of the east Zambezi Region of Namibia are important areas for wildlife connectivity and dispersal. The national parks of the east Zambezi Region, i.e. Mudumu and Nkasa Rupara, are too small to maintain viable populations of some wildlife species, which depend on being able to move across a network of landscapes, such as the conservancies and woodland areas to connect to protected areas in neighbouring countries such as Angola, Botswana and Zambia.

The third article in the series on trends in Namibian waterbird populations summarises count data for cormorants and darter for 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.

This is the last article in a series describing the results of regular wetland bird counts in Namibia. This paper looks at eight coastal sites, including two of Namibia's four Ramsar sites i.e. Sandwich Harbour and Walvis Bay. Unfortunately data for Namibia's other coastal Ramsar site, the Orange River Mouth, is incomplete and hence it has not been included in this analysis. (Larger scale replications of the graphs in this article are attached to the end of this edition).

This article continues the series on trends in Namibian waterbird populations and summarises count data for herons and egrets for 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.

Namibia was blessed with extraordinary rains in most parts of the country early in 2011 and this is evident in the results of the summer wetland bird counts. Access to many of the count sites was difficult due to the wet conditions. In fact, the count at Lake Oponono had to be abandoned because of the muddy conditions. Rain interrupted many counts and even at Sandwich Harbour the counters had to endure about two hours of pouring rain before continuing with the count. Oddly enough, Tsutsab Vlei, near Tsintsabis in northern Namibia, was bone dry when the counts were done.

This article continues the series on trends in Namibian waterbird populations and summarises count data for herons and egrets for 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.

The fifth article in the series on trends in Namibian waterbird populations summarises count data for storks and ibises for 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.

The objective of this survey was to obtain a national estimate for elephants in Namibia. Fieldwork took place between 29 July and 11 August 2011 (Etosha and Tsumkwe), 6 to 10 September 2011 (Caprivi) and 19 to 25 November 2011 (Northwest Namibia). Areas covered are shown in Figs 1-3. The survey was a sample count at a variety of sampling intensities, depending on assumed elephant densities, in order to obtain a reasonably precise estimate with minimal effort. NW Namibia was a block-sample count flown by helicopter (with some areas of known high occupancy being total-counted).

Leopards are the most widely-distributed wild cat on earth. They are found throughout most of sub-Saharan Africa and in smaller populations within the Middle East, southwest Asia, southeast Asia and north to the Amur peninsula of the Russian Far-East. Throughout this distribution, leopards have persisted in hostile areas outside of protected areas due to their secretive nature and adaptable ability to live in a variety of habitats including sub-urban environments.

Numbers of some species were up in 2011 due to the effect of good rains. This also caused a decrease in Mountain Zebra numbers as they moved westwards out of the park.