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 2022 data suggest: populations for the 7 main game species are currently showing positive or stable trends; estimates suggest that these populations are still well balanced in number; the past 2 rainfall seasons have been more typical; lion presence has seen a marked drop since 2019; since 2017 elephant numbers initially dropped but now show an increasing trend.