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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 - 50 of 104
Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) 2024. Fullmoon waterhole counts Kavango East: November 2024.

conservancy and 2 in Muduva Nyangana. Counts were undertaken over a period of 2 days during which time all animals seen were counted. Game species differ in the frequency with which they need to visit water resources with some able to acquire much of their hydration needs through foraging. Waterhole counts are therefore best suited to species (like elephants) which need to make regular trips to water points. Estimates are calculated using the number of count days, and the drinking frequency of the species.

Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) 2024. Nyae Nyae and N#a-Jaqna conservancies: Full moon waterhole counts 2024.
Nyae Nyae and N#a-Jaqna conservancies: Full moon waterhole counts 2024.
Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) 2024. Game counts in north-central Namibia - May 2024.
Game counts in north-central Namibia - May 2024.
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North Central Game Count 2024.pdf 828.83 KB
Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) 2024. Full moon waterhole counts in northern Kunene 2024.

Waterhole counts were undertaken at selected sites in the escarpment zone of north-west Namibia. In 2018,18 waterholes in 7 conservancies were counted but from 2019 onwards, the number of waterholes was increased to more than 25 covering 11 conservancies. Counts were undertaken over a period of 2, 3 or 4 days during which time all animals seen were counted. Game species differ in the frequency with which they need to visit water resources with some able to acquire much of their hydration needs through foraging.

Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) 2024. Game Counts: Kavango East - July 2024.

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. In 2024: populations of the main game species showed positive or stable trends and numbers of gemsbok and kudu were at more typical levels compared with 2023. The only species showing a downward trend was steenbok. Elephant numbers were similar over the past 3 counts.

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Game Counts_Kavango East 2024.pdf 570.77 KB
Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) 2024. Game counts in Hardap Game Park - May 2024.
Game counts in Hardap Game Park - May 2024.
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Hardap Game Count 2024.pdf 720.53 KB
Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) 2024. Game counts in north-west Namibia: Conservancies south of the veterinary fence - May 2024.
Game counts in north-west Namibia: Conservancies south of the veterinary fence - May 2024.
Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) 2024. Game counts Nyae Nyae Conservancy: Line transects - July 2024.

Line transects were initiated in 2017 and represent almost half of the total area of the conservancy and include most of the waterholes. The area not covered by transects has low animal densities due to reduced habitat suitability and people pressure. Transect counts have recorded 27 species including 7 predator species. Based on average spoor sightings and Event Book records, hyaena are the most common predator, followed by wild dog, leopard and jackal. The top 3 species in terms of sightings between 2017 and 2024 included wildebeest, elephant and kudu.

Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) 2024. Game counts in north-west Namibia: Regional Summary - May 2024.

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, the populations of many species have since shown a steady decline.

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North West Game Count_Regional 2024.pdf 643.26 KB
Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) 2024. Game counts in Luengue-Luiana N.P. - October 2024.

Game counts in Luengue-Luiana N.P. (proclaimed in 2011) were initiated in 2018. Three road section transect routes were initially established. A further two were added in 2021. The transects are limited to the extreme south-eastern portion of the park and represent an area of approximately 2,030 km² . The vegetation of the park is dominated by broadleafed savannah with several riparian networks crossing the park. In total 29 species have been recorded. For large herd species like buffalo, or floodplain species like red lechwe linear density provides the best measure of animal…

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Game counts in Luengue_Luiana NP 2024.pdf 446.18 KB
Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) 2024. Game counts in north-west Namibia: Palmwag and Etendeka Concessions - May 2024.
Game counts in north-west Namibia: Palmwag and Etendeka Concessions - May 2024.
Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) 2024. Game counts in east Zambezi - August 2024.

Estimates were calculated for 2024 using DISTANCE. Due to low numbers of sightings, in most cases, at least the last 5 years of data were used in analyses to generate detection profiles for each species. Only foot transects were used in analyses for Mudumu N.P. Some contiguous conservancies have been grouped in which case estimates are provided for the combined area. The bottom row of hyphenated numbers = 95% Confidence Intervals.

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Game counts in east Zambezi 2024.pdf 559.6 KB
Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) 2024. Game counts in north-west Namibia: Conservancies north of the veterinary fence - May 2024.
Game counts in north-west Namibia: Conservancies north of the veterrinary fence - May 2024.
Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) 2024. Game counts in Bwabwata N.P. - August 2024.

Estimates were calculated using DISTANCE. Most transects were foot counts, although some vehicle transects were also counted (5 in Mahango and 3 each in Buffalo and Kwando). While foot transects conform to an evenly spaced regular grid system, vehicle transects follow park roads and are prone to sampling and habitat bias due to the oversampling of boundary tracks and river sections. Consequently, the estimates presented below were derived from analyses restricted to foot transects only.

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Game counts in Bwabwata NP 2024.pdf 1.09 MB
Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) 2024. Game counts in north-west Namibia, Hobatere Concession - May 2024.
Game counts in north-west Namibia, Hobatere Concession - May 2024.
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North West Game Count_Hobatere 2024.pdf 460.72 KB
Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) 2023. Game counts in southern Namibia: June 2023.
Game counts in southern Namibia: June 2023.
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Southern Conservancy Game Count 2023.pdf 711.39 KB
Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) 2023. Game counts in north-central Namibia: June 2023.
Numbers for Uukwaluudhi and Okongo are from foot transects in the core area. Although an additional 3 vehicle transects were undertaken in the Uukwaluudhi core area these are used for comparing counting methods and are not indicated here.
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North Central Game Count 2023 final.pdf 774.01 KB
Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) 2023. Game counts in Sioma-Ngwezi N.P.: October 2023.

Annual game counts have been undertaken in Sioma-Ngwezi National Park since 2017 using road-route sections covering the western boundary, the southern area, and central area of the park. The vegetation of the park is dominated by miombo broad-leafed savanna but with some marshland associated with the Kwando river in the west (Sinjembela road and Mufulani road A). In 2021 several new routes were driven, however data from all except Namulilo road were discarded as they overlapped existing routes. Only a portion of Mulamba road route was counted.

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Sioma_Ngwezi_poster 2023 final.pdf 593.81 KB
Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) 2023. Game counts in Hardap Game Park: June 2023.
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Hardap Game Count 2023.pdf 689 KB
Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) 2023. Nyae Nyar and N#A-Jaqna Conservancies full moon waterhole counts: 2023.
Nyae Nyar and N#A-Jaqna Conservancies full moon waterhole counts: 2023.
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Nyae Nyae waterhole 2023 final.pdf 517.38 KB
Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) 2023. Game counts - Zambezi Rivers: August/September 2023.
Boat counts were undertaken along the Kwando river from the Angolan border to the southern boundary of Mudumu National Park (2021, 2022, 2023) and along the Okavango river from the northern part of the Buffalo core area to the Botswana border (2023). Total river length counted is approximately 190 km. Within Namibia animals on each side of the river were counted while, in the case of hippo, animals in the river were also counted.
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Zambezi Game Count_River 2023 final.pdf 374.13 KB
Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) 2023. Game counts - Nyae Nyae Conservancy, line transects: July 2023.

Line transects were initiated in 2017 and represent almost half of the total area of the conservancy and include most of the waterholes. The area not covered by transects has low animal densities due to reduced habitat suitability and people pressure. Transect counts have recorded 27 species including 7 predator species. Based on average spoor sightings and Event Book records, hyaena are the most common predator, followed by wild dog, leopard and jackal. The top 3 species in terms of sightings between 2017 and 2023 included wildebeest, elephant and kudu.

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Nyae Nyae transect count 2023 final.pdf 661.02 KB
Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) 2023. Game counts in east Zambezi: August 2023.
Game counts in east Zambezi: August 2023.
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Zambezi Game Count_East 2023 final.pdf 539.78 KB
Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) 2023. Game counts in north-west Namibia, conservancies south of veterinary fence: May 2023.
Game counts in north-west Namibia, conservancies south of veterinary fence: May 2023.
Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) 2023. Game counts in Babwata N.P.: August 2023.
Game counts in Babwata N.P.: August 2023.
Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) 2023. Game counts in north-west Namibia, regional summary: May 2023.

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.

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North West Game Count_Regional 2023.pdf 625.48 KB
Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) 2023. Full moon waterhole counts in northern Kunene: 2023.

Waterhole counts were undertaken at selected sites in the escarpment zone of north-west Namibia. In 2018,18 waterholes in 7 conservancies were counted but from 2019 onwards, the number of waterholes was increased to more than 25 covering 11 conservancies. Counts were undertaken over a period of 2, 3 or 4 days during which time all animals seen were counted. Game species differ in the frequency with which they need to visit water resources with some able to acquire much of their hydration needs through foraging.

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Waterholes_NW_poster_2023.pdf 539.37 KB
Kopij G 2023. Status, distribution and numbers of birds in the Ogongo Game Park, north-central Namibia. Namibian Journal of Environment 7 (B) 9-20

In 2012, a simplified territory mapping method was employed to study the distribution and numbers of all birds breeding in the Ogongo Game Park (OGP). OGP is situated approximately 50 km north-west of Oshakati, in the Outapi district, Omusati region, North-Central Namibia. The area of the park is approximately 1000 ha. The vegetation of OGP comprises mainly mopane savanna Colophospermum-Acacia nilotica. In total, 142 bird species were recorded: 101 breeding residents, 19 regular visitors, 10 irregular visitors, 3 vagrants, 10 Palaearctic migrants.

Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) 2023. Game counts in north-west Namibia, Palmwag and Etendeka Concessions: May 2023.
Game counts in north-west Namibia, Palmwag and Etendeka Concessions: May 2023.
Amutenya KL 2019. Khaudum National Park's full moon waterhole game count, October 2019.

The waterhole fool-moon game count survey was conducted during the hottest period of the year (October) for a duration of 72 hours (3 days and 3 nights), which ensured that wildlife in the park is solely dependent on artificial water points. The survey was conducted at all the 13 water points (11 artificial and 2 fountains), with each water point having a team of eight people, working in shifts. The counting commenced on 12 October 2019, a day before the full moon and finished on 15 October 2019, a day after the full moon.

Kolberg H 2019. Summary of the 2018 winter wetland bird counts in Namibia. Lanioturdus 52 (2) 17-20
Potgieter GC 2019. Angolan island paradise for Cape Cormorants. Conservation and the Environment in Namibia (2019)

Take a close look at the image above. Each black dot is a Cape Cormorant (see below) as seen from a light aircraft. Can you count the cormorants? This aerial view of a colony of Cape Cormorants is a composite of several of the thousands of images taken during a 2017 survey of Ilha dos Tigres, an island off the coast of Angola. The purpose of this survey was to document all visible animals using this island, so every dot counts!

Kopij G, Paxton M 2019. Waterbirds in the panhandle of the Okavango Delta: dry season counts over two seven-year periods. Zoology and Ecology (29) 15-27

We counted waterbirds along a fixed route in the panhandle of the Okavango River in Mahango Game Reserve in the dry season during two seven-year periods (1991–1997 and 2000–2006). Palearctic migrants represented by 11 species in 1991–1997 and nine species in 2000–2006 together composed only a small percentage of all birds recorded in both periods. The two most numerous foraging guilds were birds foraging in shallow water and those foraging in deep water. The former guild was more numerous in 2000–2006, while the latter guild was more numerous in 1991–1997.

Kolberg H 2018. Summary of the 2017 winter wetland bird counts in Namibia. Lanioturdus (51) 34-37
Brown C 2018. Status of the Rock Pratincole in the Kapako area of the Okavango River, Kavango East, Namibia. Namibian Journal of Environment (2) 9-11

A boat survey conducted on 30 December 2017 along an 8.6 km stretch of the Okavango River revealed 45 adult Rock Pratincoles and 20 young birds. This brings the estimated number of Rock Pratincoles in the Okavango system in Namibia to about 361 birds, and for all river systems in Namibia to about 410 birds. Keywords: Glareola nuchalis, Namibia, Okavango river, Rock Pratincole, status.

Mendelsohn J, Haraes L 2018. Aerial census of Cape Cormorants and Cape Fur Seals at Baía dos Tigres, Angola. Namibian Journal of Environment (2) 1-6

A total of 250,786 Cape Cormorants, of which 16,038 were individuals on nests in 349 colonies, and 15,831 Cape Fur Seals were counted during a complete aerial photographic census of the island of Tigres and part of the adjacent coast in Angola in March 2017. Such a concentration of birds and seals and the large number of breeding Cape Cormorants highlights the need to protect Tigres and its rich surrounding waters. Keywords: aerial census, Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus, Baía dos Tigres, Cape cormorant, Cape fur seal, Phalacrocorax capensis.

Kolberg H 2017. Status assessment of Namibia's vultures . Lanioturdus 50 (1) 9-17

Vultures provide essential ecological services, yet are amongst the world's most threatened species with populations having declined by more than 95% within ten years in some places. The biggest factor causing this decline is the use of poison, either intentionally or unintentionally. Other factors causing declines are collision with and electrocution by powerlines, illegal harvesting for traditional medicines, habitat loss and drowning in reservoirs.

Kolberg H 2016. Book Review: Birds of Botswana by Peter Hancock and Ingrid Weiersbye, Princeton University Press . Lanioturdus 49 (1) 28

The species accounts are very detailed, doubtlessly benefitting from Peter's intimate and long-term knowledge of Botswana's birds. The range maps give one an immediate indication of where the bird occurs and the breeding bars give one an idea of when to expect the bird and when it breeds. These will prove handy when identifying e.g. migratory birds. The excellent illustrations show the birds in their local race and where sexes and ages differ, these are also illustrated. Perhaps one shortcoming of the illustrations is, that diagnostic features e.g.

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Book Review_Birds of Botswana.pdf 346.34 KB
Kolberg H 2016. Wetland bird counts in Namibia: a summary . Lanioturdus 49 (5) 2-193
Kolberg H 2016. Summary of the 2015 Winter Wetland Bird Counts in Namibia . Lanioturdus 49 (3) 2-5
Kolberg H 2015. Summary of the 2015 Summer Wetland Bird Counts in Namibia . Lanioturdus 48 (3) 31-33

Summary of the 2015 Summer Wetland Bird Counts in Namibia.

Simmons R, Kolberg H, Braby R, Erni B 2015. Declines in migrant shorebird populations from a winter-quarter perspective: State-Space Models for Shorebird Trends . Conservation Biology 29 (3) 877-878

Many long-distance migrating shorebird (i.e., sandpipers, plovers, flamingos, oystercatchers) populations are declining. Although regular shorebird monitoring programs exist worldwide, most estimates of shorebird population trends and sizes are poor or nonexistent. We built a state-space model to estimate shorebird population trends. Compared with more commonly used methods of trend estimation, state-space models are more mechanistic, allow for the separation of observation and state process, and can easily accommodate multivariate time series and nonlinear trends.

Kolberg H 2014. Summary of the 2014 Summer Wetland Bird counts in Namibia . Lanioturdus 47 (3) 28-30

Summary of the 2014 Summer Wetland Bird counts in Namibia.

Kolberg H 2014. Summary of the 2013 Winter Wetland Bird Counts in Namibia . Lanioturdus 47 23-31
Kolberg H 2013. Summary of the 2012 winter wetland bird counts in Namibia. Lanioturdus 46 (3) 34
Kolberg H 2013. Trends in Namibian Waterbird Populations 9: Waders and Shorebirds - Part 1. Lanioturdus 46 (1) 27-44

The following is a summary of waterbird count data for selected species in Namibia, covering the period 1977 to December 2008.

Paxton M 2013. KOAR Winter (July) Wetland Water-bird Counts, Okavango River 2012. Lanioturdus 46 (1) 21-24

The Okavango River system, about 480 kms of which constitutes the border between Namibia and Angola, has previously been largely neglected in the annual wetland water-bird counts programme conducted throughout Namibia. The exceptions have been the Mahango Game Reserve and a section of the river at Shamvura Camp where voluntary wetland water-bird counts have however been conducted over a consecutive period of 15 years and 11 years respectively. The remainder of the river had been left uncounted until 2012.

Kolberg H 2013. Summary of the 2013 Summer Wetland Bird Counts in Namibia . Lanioturdus 46 (4) 27
Kolberg H 2012. Trends in Namibian Waterbird Populations 6: Spoonbill, Hamerkop, Flamingos and Cranes . Lanioturdus 45 (1) 17-21

The sixth article in the series on trends in Namibian waterbird populations summarises count data for African Spoonbill, Hamerkop, Greater and Lesser Flamingo and Wattled Crane for the period 1977 to December 2008. For each species the Red Data Book (RDB) status, both global and Namibian, is given, the population trend as per Wetlands International, the number of times the species was counted, the number of times it has passed the 1% population criterion, the maximum count and the sites where it has passed the 1% population criterion.

Kolberg H 2012. Report on the Winter 2011 Wetland Bird Counts in Namibia . Lanioturdus 45 (1) 31-40

The winter wetland bird counts were conducted during July and August 2011 at 32 sites throughout Namibia. The abnormal rainy season experienced in most parts of the country had resulted in plenty of water still being in the field and this was evident in the counts. Lower numbers than usual were recorded at most sites and the Walvis Bay count was the lowest since regular counts were started. The low numbers are due to an almost complete absence of flamingos, lower than usual numbers of geese and ducks and the absence of certain waders e.g.

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