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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 - 44 of 44
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.

Bussiere EMS, Potgieter D 2023. KAZA Elephant Survey 2022, Volume I: Results and Technical Report.

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.

Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism (MEFT), World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) 2023. The Kavango-Zambezi transfrontier elephant survey. Conservation and the Environment in Namibia 26-31

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.

Heydinger J, Muzuma U 2023. First-ever systematic lion population survey in northwest Namibia. Conservation and the Environment in Namibia 58-61

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.

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. Game Counts: Kavango East, July 2023.

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.

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Kavango poster 2023 final.pdf 659.62 KB
Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) 2023. Game counts - transboundary: 2017 - 2023.

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.

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Kaza_2023 final.pdf 383.91 KB
Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) 2023. Game counts in Luengue-Luiana N.P., October 2023.

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.

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Luengue_Luiana poster 2023 final.pdf 620.89 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 north-west Namibia, Hobatere Concession: May 2023.
Game counts in north-west Namibia, Hobatere Concession: May 2023.
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North West Game Count_Hobatere 2023.pdf 378.34 KB
Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) 2023. Game counts in north-west Namibia, conservancies north of veterinary fence: May 2023.
Game counts in north-west Namibia, conservancies north of veterinary fence: May 2023.
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.
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. 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 - 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. 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 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 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. 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
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 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 - 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) 2021. Game counts in Hardap Game Park and Naute Recreation Resort - May 2021.
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NACSO Hardap and Naute Game Count 2021.pdf 805.96 KB
Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) 2021. Game counts in north-west Namibia regional summary, May 2021.

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 subsequent prolonged dry phase has resulted in a steady decline in populations of many game species. It is unclear how much illegal harvesting has contributed to this decline.

Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) 2021. Game counts in north-central Namibia - Total number of animals seen: last 5 years - July 2021.
Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) 2021. Game counts in north-west Namibia: Conservancies north of the veterinary fence, May 2021.
Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) 2021. Game counts in north-west Namibia: Conservancies south of the veterinary fence, May 2021.
Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) 2021. Game counts in north-west Namibia: Palmwag and Etendeka Conscessions, May 2021.
Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) 2021. Game counts in north-west Namibia: Hobatere Concession, May 2021.
Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) 2021. Game counts in southern Namibia: May 2021.
Craig GC, Gibson DSC, Uiseb KH 2021. Namibia's elephants - population, distribution and trends. Pachyderm 62 35-52

Namibia's elephants extend across the north of the country. They occur in six main areas of the known Namibian range - the north-west, Etosha National Park (NP), Mangetti National Park, northern Kavango, Khaudum National Park/Nyae Nyae Conservancy and Zambezi Region. Seasonal changes in distribution are related to water availability. There are movements of elephants between Namibia and its neighbours, particularly Botswana, and mainly from Zambezi Region. The largest populations are found in the north-east of the country, in Khaudum/Nyae Nyae and Zambezi Region.

Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) 2021. Game counts: Kavango East, August 2021.

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.

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Kavango poster 2021 final.pdf 711.16 KB
Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) 2021. Game counts in East Zambezi, dry season - live sightings, October 2021.

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 for some species are provided, these should only be considered as an approximate guide to species abundance.

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Zambezi Game Count_East 2021 final.pdf 657.33 KB
Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) 2021. Game counts in Bwabwata NP, dry seaon - live sightings, October 2021.

The fundamental purpose of these annual game counts is to inform MEFT of general wildlife trends in the parks. While estimates for some species are provided, these should only be considered as an approximate guide to species abundance.

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Zambezi Game Count_Bwabwata 2021 final.pdf 656.34 KB
Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) 2021. Full moon waterhole counts in northern Kunene, 2021.

Counts were undertaken at waterholes in the escarpment zone of north west Namibia. In 2018,18 waterholes in 7 conservancies were counted while in 2019, 2020 and 2021, the number of waterholes was increased to around 26 covering 10 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_2021_final.pdf 513.97 KB
Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) 2021. Game counts - line transects Nyae Nyae Conservancy, August 2021.

Line transects were started 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 23 species including 6 predator species. Based on average spoor sightings hyaena are the most common predator, followed by leopard and wild dog.

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Nyae Nyae Game Count transect 2021.pdf 765.3 KB
Matthys D 2021. Kaza-Wide aerial survey of elephants launched.

The partner states of the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA TFCA), Namibia, Botswana, Angola, Zambia and Zimbabwe last week launched the first-ever coordinated aerial survey of elephants in Windhoek. Speaking at the launch, Executive Director in the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, Theofilus Nghitila said the survey is a fundamental component of the KAZA Strategic Planning Framework for the Conservation and Management of Elephants. "The survey will be coordinated by the KAZA Secretariat in close collaboration with designated teams in…

Brain C, NamPol 2021. An informal aerial count of elephants in the river systems of Kunene in December 2021.

Numbers of elephants counted by Nad Brain and NamPol observers between 16 -31 Dec 2021 as part of antipoaching surveillance work. The unstructered aerial search counts focussed on the river systems and were done from the Westair / NCE Cessna 182 V5 –IIM flying out of Palmwag airfield and using SRT's base camp Ma – I – Go. It was not possible to record demographics of the herds, but did count bulls individually. The bulls are in addition to the herd numbers.

Paxton M, Sheehan L 2002. Mahango bird count January 2002 . Lanioturdus 35 (4) 24-28
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Mahango bird count January 2002.pdf 353.37 KB
Kilian JW 2002. Aerial census of wildlife in Etosha National Park, September - October 2002.

Aerial surveys have been conducted in Etosha National Park since 1968. These counts were strictly not comparable as they were undertaken at irregular intervals with different coverage, The first comprehensive sample count was done 1995, Since then sample counts were completed in 1998 and 2002. The 2002 survey is therefore the fourth complete sample count of Etosha. The objectives of the 2002 survey were as follows: 1. To provide comparable estimates and trend data for the most important species surveyed in support of speies management plan. 2.

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Introduction ENP Survey Report 2002.pdf 233.02 KB
2002. Etosha survey report 2002.
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Etosha Survey Report October 2002.pdf 694.08 KB
2002. Etosha National Park aerial census 2002.
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Etosha NP_Aerial census 2002.pdf 694.07 KB
Kilian JW 2002. Aerial census of wildlife in Etosha National Park, September - October 2002.

Aerial surveys have been conducted in Etosha National Park since 1968. These counts were strictly not comparable as they were undertaken at irregular intervals with different coverage, The first comprehensive sample count was done 1995, Since then sample counts were completed in 1998 and 2002. The 2002 survey is therefore the fourth complete sample count of Etosha. The objectives of the 2002 survey were as follows: 1. To provide comparable estimates and trend data for the most important species surveyed in support of speies management plan. 2.

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Etosha NP_Aerial census 2002 intro.pdf 233.02 KB
2002. Annual game census for Nyae-Nyae.
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Annual game census for Nyae_Nyae_2002.PDF 650.56 KB

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