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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.

Following several years of preparation, the KAZA Elephant Survey (2022) commenced on 22 August 2022 and ran until 28 October 2022. The primary objective of the survey was to obtain a relatively precise and accurate estimate of the number of African savanna elephants (hereafter elephants) in the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA TFCA), by synchronising data collection, particularly in areas of transboundary elephant movement.

The first flight to begin an elephant survey covering parts of Angola, Botswana, Namibia,Zambia and Zimbabwe took off from a dirt strip in Zimbabwe on 22 August 2022. The survey area, known as the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA TFCA), hosts over half of Africa's savanna elephants, which underlines the importance of the survey.

The lions of Namibia's Kunene Region are sought after by tourists, but they are a local threat to livestock farming, and are still largely unresearched in terms of their ecology and ranging behaviour. Though lions in Kunene have been monitored for more than twenty years, it may come as a surprise that the population has not been systematically counted throughout its range - until now. It is less surprising when one realises that the lion range in Kunene covers more than 51,000 km² of mountainous desert landscape.

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 2023 data suggest: populations for 4 of the main game species (Roan, Eland, Steenbok and Duiker) showed positive or stable trends. There were however sharp drops in the numbers of gemsbok and kudu seen. Estimates suggest that these populations are still well balanced in number.

Estimates were calculated using DISTANCE which takes account in drop-off in detectability of animals with distance from the transect line. Where there are no values too few observations were recorded to allow for meaningful estimates to be derived. Attempts should be made to fill these gaps. Kwandu conservancy differs from the other 3 more strictly protected areas in that it contains a significant human presence. It is not expected to have the same species densities, but it is an important wildlife corridor between the national parks.

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 broad-leafed savannah with several riparian networks crossing the park. In total 28 species have been recorded. For large herd species like buffalo, or floodplain species like red lechwe, extrapolation is not appropriate.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Areas surveyed: The Okavango River in Namibia, from just northwest the bridge on the Trans-Caprivi highway south to the Botswana border; the entire length of the Kwandu-Linyanti-Lake Liambezi-Chobe system, including the Mamili National Park; and the Zambezi river for its entire length on Namibia's border, including parts of the adjacent East Caprivi floodplains.

This study has provided baseline data on crocodile numbers from aerial and spotlight counts. These data can be used with the results of future counts to determine population trends. The census has also provided information on their distribution of crocodiles in the Kavango and Caprivi regions. And third, it has resulted in the first population estimate for crocodiles in the north-east wetlands of Namibia.

Human and, increasingly, elephant pressure on Namibia's wetlands and riparian belts are a major cause of conservation concern. Many wetland birds are listed in Namibia's Red Data Book (Simmons & Brown in prep) because of population declines caused by the degradation and destruction of wetland habitats, and because of high levels of disturbance. Good information on the status of major wetlands and their avifauna is important for their conservation management. Birds provide one of the best indicators of wetland health.

Namibia is one of few African countries that support six species of large carnivore. Lions, leopards, cheetahs, spotted hyaenas, brown hyaenas and wild dogs occur primarily in the northern and western sections of Namibia. With the possible exception of lions and leopards we have a poor understanding of the exact distribution and density of these species, although available information suggests that the populations are stable. The Namibia Large Carnivore Atlas was launched to involve the tourism industry and the Namibian public in collecting baseline data on the six large…

Namibia is one of few African countries that support six species of large carnivore. Lions, leopards, cheetahs, spotted hyaenas, brown hyaenas and wild dogs occur primarily in the northern and western sections of Namibia. With the possible exception of lions and leopards we have a poor understanding of the exact distribution and density of these species, although available information suggests that the populations are stable. The Namibia Large Carnivore Atlas was launched to involve the tourism industry and the Namibian public in collecting baseline data on the six large…

Summary of game count in north west in 2004: route statistics, animals seen, population estimates, trends.

Namibia is one of few African countries that support six species of large carnivore. Lions, leopards, cheetahs, spotted hyaenas, brown hyaenas and wild dogs occur primarily in the northern and western sections of Namibia. With the possible exception of lions and leopards we have a poor understanding of the exact distribution and density of these species, although available information suggests that the populations are stable.

An aerial wildlife survey of the Nyae Nyae Conservancy in Namibia was conducted between 27 August and 5 September 2004. Using stratified systematic transect sampling techniques the 8,900km2 area was samfled at an average intensity of 33 %, during 54 hours of flying. The survey produced population estimates with relatively narrow confidence intervals for some of the abundant species, like kudu, gemsbok and ostrich. Wildlife numbers, as a whole, appeared to have increased when compared with the previous survey in 1998. An abbreviated summary of the numbers of wildlife is listed…

The conflict between lions and pastoralists bordering Etosha National Park is a well known and documented problem. Every year lions move beyond the borders of Etosha National Park (Etosha) and prey on domestic livestock. In protection of their livestock, pastoralists shoot, trap, or poison lions. Data on these lion mortalities have been collected since 1982. Many individuals, including staff of the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, and visiting researchers, have collected these data.

For the protection of grazing, farmers throughout for the Territory obtained permits for shooting 3, 893 zebra, 2, 025 ostriches, 172 giraffes, 183 kudus, 404 gemsbuck, 2, 513 springboks and 12 steenboks. Permits were issued for the export of 17, 724 hides to an approximate value of R 50,000. The revenue for the Administration out of levies on the export of 760 head of game by the two licensed game dealers amounted to R 2, 323. There are no levies on the export of hides. The first Administration’s policy that game should have a monetary value for the farmer, started yielding…