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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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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…

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.

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.

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.

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.

This article continues the series on trends in Namibian waterbird populations and summarizes count data for ducks and geese 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.

This article continues the series on trends in Namibian waterbird populations and summarizes count data for ducks and geese 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.

Wetland bird counts were once again conducted throughout Namibia during the months of January and February 2012. A total of 33 sites were covered resulting in 262 833 birds of 112 species. For the first time since 2007 counts were also conducted in the Caprivi, on the Okavango and the Kwando Rivers. The effects of the good rainy seasons over the past few years are still very evident with low numbers of especially flamingos and ducks recorded at the coast.

The eighth article in the series on trends in Namibian waterbird populations summarizes count data for six species 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.

Poster summarising the results of the 2012 south game count.

Poster summarising the results of the 2012 north west game count.

Poster summarising the results of the 2012 north central game count.

Poster summarising the results of the 2012 Hardap game count.

Game counts in communal conservancies in Caprivi; dry season, live sightings. showing Numbers seen by conservation area, habitat, compared to 2011, population estimates and trends.

Game counts in Bwabwata and Caprivi; dry season, live sightings. showing Numbers seen by conservation area, habitat, compared to 2011, population estimates and trends.

In 2011, the Ministry of Environment and Tourism conducted a questionnaire to various stakeholders to determine relative abundance of large carnivores throughout Namibia. The results of this questionnaire were quantified and mapped to establish the current range and relative abundance of the six Namibian large carnivores. Recent population estimates for leopards are used here, however, the remaining species we used estimates from the previous Atlas as our best estimates to date.

Conducting aerial surveys is one of the core functions of the Ministry of Environment and Tourism. The surveys are essential management tools, allowing for informed decision making. Aerial surveys have been conducted in Etosha National Park since 1968. Apart from a series of elephant surveys, these surveys were strictly speaking not comparable as they were undertaken at irregular intervals with different sampling intensities and area cover. The first comprehensive multi-species sample count was conducted in 1995, and repeated in 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2005 and 2010.

Springbok numbers were down during 2012 due to dispersal into broken hilly country to the west of the park. Where they were present, they were only found in small groups which could have resulted in under counting.

This report provides feedback and results of the annual game count held on NamibRand Nature Reserve and the Pro-Namib Conservancy on 2 June 2012 - for the eighth consecutive year since the counts were initiated in 2005. As usual, this event was combined with the Reserve’s annual general meeting, which makes it an ideal opportunity to hold a game count with community participation. In June 2009 a new area was added to the existing eight zones (Zone 9), in order to incorporate the Pro-Namib Conservancy.

The objective of this survey was to obtain a national estimate for elephants in Namibia. Fieldwork took place between  29 July and 11 August 2011 (Etosha and Tsumkwe),  9 to 11 September 2011 (Caprivi) and 19 to 25 November 2011 (Northwest Namibia). Areas covered are shown in Figs 1-3. The survey was a sample count at a variety of sampling intensities, depending on assumed elephant densities, in order to obtain a reasonably precise estimate with minimal effort.

This is the third article in a series describing the results of regular wetland bird counts in Namibia and groups together inland sites where water is seasonally present as well as three sewage treatment plants. The article gives details for ten sites for which ten or more counts are available up to the end of 2008.

January 2010 announced its arrival with welcome and wide-spread rain throughout Namibia. The result of this was that we were expecting bumper counts at many of the inland wetlands, although the two coastal heavyweights would be expected to contribute the majority in terms of numbers, as usual. During this count cycle 26 sites were counted, an increase on previous counts, in no small part due to the efforts of the Namibia Bird Club that is now counting many wetlands around Windhoek.

This is the second article in a series describing the results of regular wetland bird counts in Namibia and groups together inland sites where water is present most of the time. The article gives details for two perennial river sites and nine dams for which ten or more counts are available up to the end of 2008.

The following is a summary of waterbird count data for selected species in Namibia, covering 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.

Data on wetland bird numbers has been collected in Namibia on an ad hoc basis since the early 1960's. Since 1991 regular counts have been conducted at several sites and thus a considerable amount of data has accumulated. This article and the ones to follow is a summary of the available data and an attempt to derive population trends for selected wetland bird populations. To date (July 2009), data from 1703 counts at 172 places has been entered into a database. A total of 177 different species of waterbird have been counted at these sites.

During the month of July 2009 volunteers once again participated in the winter wetland bird counts all over Namibia. A total of 27 wetlands were counted resulting in just over 99,000 birds of 87 species. The number of sites being counted is up thanks to the Namibia Bird Club, which is now conducting regular counts at Avis Dam, the Gammams (Windhoek) Sewage Works and Monte Christo. The Walvis Bay Ramsar site tops the list with over 50,000 birds, followed by Sandwich Harbour and the Mile 4 Saltworks.

In more than 100 countries, millions of waterbirds are counted each year. Wetlands International coordinates the International Waterbird Census (IWC) throughout the world and the data is used to e.g. designate Wetlands of International Importance and Important Bird Areas. Namibia has participated in these counts since 1990 and hence a considerable set of data has accumulated. Data is on hand for 1703 (as at July 2009) waterbird counts at 172 sites in Namibia. The earliest counts are from 1976 and a peak in terms of sites counted was reached in 1995 when 73 wetlands were counted…

Poster summarising the results of the 2010 game count in the South.

Game counts in north-west Namibia, June 2010.

Game counts in Bwabwata and Caprivi; dry season, live sightings. showing Numbers seen by conservation area, habitat, compared to 2009, population estimates and trends.

North West game count - map of sightings per species per 2x2km grid cell.

Maps showing live sightings of elephant, giraffe, kudu, roan, sable, buffalo, impala, reedbuck, tsessebe and zebra in the 2010 Caprivi game count.

The survey took two hours 54 minutes, which translates into a search rate of 1.6 km/min. The flight path was recorded on the GPS tracklog and is shown in Figure 2 (deviations from the transects are where rhino, elephant or large herds of animals were encountered). A total of 253 sightings were recorded during this time (Figure 3) which comprised 1539 animals of seventeen species (Table 1). Kaross game camp is 144 km² in size so the density of animals calculates to 10.7 animals/km². The distribution and herd size for selected species is shown in Figure 4 to Figure 11.