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 prolonged dry phase after 2013 resulted in a steady decline in populations of many game species. It is unclear how much illegal harvesting contributed to the drop in animal numbers. Predator numbers increased sharply initially but have since stabilised or dropped. 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 sub-areas: 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 normally 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. Summary: Overall, t he 202 3 count show ed positive trends for four of the six main game species. However, numbers of Oryx and Hartmann’s Z ebra sighted in all sub areas were alarmingly low. In the sub areas (see relevant posters), trends for all specie s in conservancies north of the veterinary fence , and Hobatere concession were promising. However, the opposite was true for conservancies to the south, and the concession areas of Palmwag and Etendeka , where downward trends and reduced game numbers persist.