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. Predator numbers increased sharply but have now levelled off or even dropped slightly. In response to the decline in numbers, official harvesting through controlled hunting has been reduced since 2014 to enable populations to recover. The north-west comprises 4 distinct subareas: conservancies south of the veterinary fence, conservancies north of the fence and the concession areas (where no utilisation is permitted): Palmwag and Etendeka and Hobatere. There are clear differences in animal density between these areas with the concession areas having highest densities and the southern area having the lowest. The concession areas of Palmwag and Etendeka (which represent only slightly more than 9% of the region) are important natural refuges for many wildlife species. Trends in these areas often show radical spikes between years reflecting animal movements to and from the concessions, Skeleton Coast, conservancies, and freehold land. In any given year many animals may be missed due to under-sampling in counts; 43% of this area is excluded.