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. The 2021 data suggest: populations for the 7 main game species are currently showing positive or stable trends; estimates suggest that these populations are also well balanced in number; rainfall increased over the past 3 seasons to more normal levels; lion presence has seen a marked drop since 2019; elephant numbers have remained relatively constant since 2017.