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Namibian Wildlife Surveys archive

This archive of reports of wildlife surveys in Namibia aims to:

  • provide easy public access to published information and statistics
  • enable easy stakeholder access to recent and historical data on wildlife populations
  • provide a comprehensive archive of wildlife survey reports in Namibia

Public access to information is a vital component of ensuring community engagement in prevalent issues. Wildlife surveys are critical to determine the health of wildlife populations and determine trends over time to guide conservation and management actions. 

Wildlife surveys are done for different species using methods that are suited to counting them (e.g. by air or road) in their natural habitats. Such surveys need to be repeated over time to detect long-term trends and inform conservation managers. The Namibian government, non-governmental organisations and private reserves all conduct regular surveys covering different parts of Namibia and targeting different species. This archive will thus serve as a repository of our collective knowledge of the trends and status of a variety of species occurring throughout Namibia.

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Displaying results 1 - 6 of 6
Friday, 10 May 2024
Smit E 2024. KAZA elephant survey lacks formal trend analysis.
A new report by Elephants Without Borders (EWB), summarising aerial survey results from over a decade across Southern Africa, found that overall, elephant numbers have not changed significantly. The report added that while the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA TFCA) aerial survey counted 227 900 elephants, it lacked any formal trend analysis. The transboundary aerial survey of KAZA elephants was flown from August to October 2022. KAZA includes Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe, which share international borders along the Okavango and Zambezi River…
Brown LM, Ramey RR 2025. Status and distribution of desert-dwelling elephants in the Hoarusib, Hoanib, and Uniab River drainages, Kunene Region, Namibia.

We compiled data from our research (2006-2025) along with published accounts dating back to 1975 on the desert-dwelling elephant population in our study area of Skeleton Coast National Park and western Kunene region. This includes the Hoarusib River, Hoanib River, and Uniab River sub populations. Our analysis of the data reveal the profound influence that human-caused elephant mortality has had on the population over this time period. An initial precipitous decline occurred due to wartime poaching in the 1980s.

Brown LM, Ramey RR 2021. Status and distribution of desert-dwelling elephants in the Hoarusib, Hoanib, and Uniab River drainages, Kunene Region, Namibia. Final Version: Annual Research Report 2021, 31 December 2021.

The following data on elephants of the Hoarusib, Hoanib, and Uniab river drainages is based on exact counts of known individuals from our photo ID database.

Brown LM, Ramey RR 2020. Status and distribution of desert-dwelling elephants in the Hoarusib, Hoanib, and Uniab River drainages, Kunene Region, Namibia. 2019 Annual Research Report (NCRST Research Permit RCIV00042018, Authorization # 20190519) 9 March 2020.

In the Hoarusib River, a third of the remaining elephant population was lost in 2019. From a total of 16 elephants in 2018, there are now only 11 that remain. All the elephants were in poor condition due to the extensive drought that has affected the region and killed most of the cattle. The ongoing drought, in combination with continuing human-wildlife conflict, has had a serious impact on elephants and other wildlife species as well.

Ramey RR, Brown LM 2018. Status and distribution of desert-dwelling elephants in the Hoarusib, Hoanib, and Uniab River drainages. 2018 Annual Research Report (Research and Collection Permit # 2298/2017) 10 February 2019.

We compiled data from our research (2006-2018) along with published accounts dating back to 1975 on the desert-dwelling elephant population in our study area of Skeleton Coast National Park and western Kunene region. This includes the Hoarusib-Hoanib, and Uniab subpopulations. Our analysis of the data reveal the profound influence that humancaused mortality has had on the population. An initial precipitous decline occurred due to wartime poaching (1980s).

Hanssen L, Singwangwa M, Kukuwa V 2015. Camera trap survey to determine the status of leopards in the Mudumu-North Complex, Zambezi Region, Namibia Report July 2015.

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.

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