This archive of reports of wildlife surveys in Namibia aims to:
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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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.
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| Aerial census of Cape Cormorants and Cape Fur Seals at Baia dos Tigres.pdf | 3.54 MB |
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.
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| Status of the Rock Pratincole in the Kapako area of the Okavango River_2018_Brown.pdf | 1.03 MB |
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| Summary of the 2017 winter wetland bird counts in Namibia.pdf | 468.26 KB |
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| Game counts in Hardap Game Park_July 2018.pdf | 772.41 KB |
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| Game counts in north_west Namibia_ Regional Summary_2018.pdf | 1.12 MB |
Summary of game counts in north-west Namibia: Conservancies north of the veterinary fence, June 2018.
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| Game counts in north_west Namibia_Conservancies north of the veterinary fence_June 2018.pdf | 622.61 KB |
Summary of game counts in north-west Namibia: Conservancies north of the veterinary fence, June 2018.
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| Game counts in north_west Namibia_Conservancies north of the veterinary fence_June 2018.pdf | 622.61 KB |
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| Game counts in north_west Namibia_Palmwag and Etendeka_June 2018.pdf | 662.25 KB |
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| Game counts in north_west Namibia_Hobatere concession_June 2018.pdf | 581.38 KB |
Summary of game counts in north-central Namibia: Total Numbers of animals seen: last 5 years.
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| Game counts in north_central Namibia_Total Numbers of animals seen_last 5 years_2018.pdf | 850.88 KB |
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| Game counts in southern Namibia_June 2018.pdf | 759.21 KB |
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| North Central Game Count data 2018.xlsx | 146.33 KB |
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| North West Game Count data 2018.xlsx | 434.86 KB |
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| Gondwana Canyon Park Game Count 2018.jpg | 3.01 MB |
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| Gondwana Kalahari Park Game Count 2018.jpg | 3.15 MB |
Carnivore populations face threats from increasing human populations and rapidly diminishing, suitable habitat. Large carnivores such as African lions (Panthera leo) commonly attack livestock on lands adjacent to protected areas. This can lead to human-wildlife conflict (HWC) events that result in retaliatory lion killings. Conflict is a primary driver of wild lion population declines which are estimated to have decreased by 43% in the last 20 years.
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| Etosha National Park Carnivore Monitoring Project_Lion GPS_Satelllite Monitoring.pdf | 2.09 MB |
Carnivore populations face threats from increasing human populations and rapidly diminishing, suitable habitat. Large carnivores such as African lions (Panthera leo) commonly range outside of their protected areas and attack livestock on adjacent farmlands. This can lead to human-carnivore conflict (HCC) events often resulting in retaliatory lion killings. HCC retaliation by poisoning the offending animals is highly costly to lions due to the species’ group hunting and feeding habits.
Summary of the 2015 Summer Wetland Bird Counts in Namibia.
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| Summary of the 2015 Summer Wetland Bird Counts in Namibia.pdf | 5.15 MB |
Poster summarising the results of the 2015 south game count.
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| South Game Count 2015.pdf | 504.29 KB |
Poster summarising the results of the North West Waterhole game count.
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| North West Waterhole Count 2015.pdf | 736.97 KB |
Poster summarising the results of the 2015 North West game count - Southern areas.
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| North West Game Coun_South Vet fence 2015.pdf | 736.03 KB |
Poster summarising the results of the 2015 North West game count - Northern areas.
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| North West Game Count_North Vet Fence 2015.pdf | 677.69 KB |
Poster summarising the results of the 2014 North West game count in Concession areas.
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| North West Game Count_Concessions 2015.pdf | 785.63 KB |
Poster summarising the results of the 2015 North West game count.
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| North West Game Count_Overall 2015.pdf | 839.26 KB |
Poster summarising game count results for the north Central conservancies in 2015.
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| North Central Game Count 2015.pdf | 910.13 KB |
Game counts in Khaudum North Complex showing numbers seen by conservation area, habitat, compared to previous years, population estimates and trends.
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| Khaudum North Complex Count 2015.pdf | 680.98 KB |
Game counts in East Zambezi (Caprivi); dry season, live sightings. showing Numbers seen by conservation area, habitat, compared to 2014, population estimates and trends.
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| Zambezi Game Count_East_Zambezi 2015.pdf | 692.79 KB |
Game counts in Bwabwata; dry season, live sightings. showing Numbers seen by conservation area, habitat, compared to 2014, population estimates and trends.
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| Zambezi Game Count_Bwabwata 2015.pdf | 761.7 KB |
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.
An aerial survey of wildlife and domestic livestock took place in Zambezi Region from 25 th September to 4 th October 2015. A total area of 17474km2 was sampled at an average intensity of 13%. The estimates of numbers of each species are tabulated below. The number of elephants estimated has decreased since the 2014 survey, although the change is notstatistically significant. However there has been a very highly significant increase in the estimated number of elephant carcasses since 2014. Other observations suggest that illegal hunting of elephants continues to take place in the…
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| Aerial survey of elephants and other wildlife in Zambezi Region_September_October 2015.pdf | 5.82 MB |
An aerial survey of wildlife and domestic livestock took place in the Khaudum National Park and its neighbouring conservancies from 6 th to 14 th October 2015. A total area of 12851km2 was sampled at an average intensity of 9%. The focus of the survey was on obtaining good estimates of elephant numbers. Other species were recorded although it is likely that their numbers would be underestimated (Craig and Gibson, 2013a).
Aerial stratified sample counts have been conducted since 1995 in Etosha. The 2015 aerial count of Etosha was conducted from 4 September till 21 September. Including the latter survey, a total of eight comparable multi-species counts have been completed since 1995.
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| Etosha NP_Aerial census 2015.pdf | 1.91 MB |
Numbers of most species dropped during 2015 due to the effects of the drought & the lack of grazing. Although there were a few mortalities, many animals have moved to areas outside the park where conditions are more favourable. This is to be expected in an open system.
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| Gondwana Canon Park game count 2015.pdf | 1.1 MB |
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| Gondwana Kalahari Park annual game count 2015.pdf | 919.17 KB |
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| Gondwana Namib Park game count June 2015.pdf | 1.04 MB |
The work of this consultancy continues an overview of elephant populations that were recently surveyed in the Zambezi Region (Caprivi), Khaudum National Park and Nyae Nyae. That survey was a response to the escalating killing of elephants across the African elephant range (CITES 2012)1 including southern Africa. This illegal activity is being driven, both internally within Africa and externally by an illegal wildlife trade. Such trade has become highly criminalized involving corrupt politicians, private sector syndicates and inept &/or corrupt bureaucrats.
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| Game counts in eastern Zambezi_Dry season_live sightings_2015.pdf | 692.79 KB |
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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| Camera trap survey to determine the status of leopards in the Mudumu_North Complex_2015.pdf | 1.25 MB |
The third article in the series on trends in Namibian waterbird populations summarises count data for cormorants and darter 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.
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| Trends in Namibian Waterbird Populations 3_Cormorants and Darter.pdf | 280.07 KB |
This is the last article in a series describing the results of regular wetland bird counts in Namibia. This paper looks at eight coastal sites, including two of Namibia's four Ramsar sites i.e. Sandwich Harbour and Walvis Bay. Unfortunately data for Namibia's other coastal Ramsar site, the Orange River Mouth, is incomplete and hence it has not been included in this analysis. (Larger scale replications of the graphs in this article are attached to the end of this edition).
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| Wetland Bird Counts in Namibia 4_Coastal Wetlands.pdf | 594.91 KB |
This article continues the series on trends in Namibian waterbird populations and summarises count data for herons and egrets 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.
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| Trends in Namibian Waterbird Populations 4_Herons and Egrets Part 1.pdf | 409.28 KB |
Namibia was blessed with extraordinary rains in most parts of the country early in 2011 and this is evident in the results of the summer wetland bird counts. Access to many of the count sites was difficult due to the wet conditions. In fact, the count at Lake Oponono had to be abandoned because of the muddy conditions. Rain interrupted many counts and even at Sandwich Harbour the counters had to endure about two hours of pouring rain before continuing with the count. Oddly enough, Tsutsab Vlei, near Tsintsabis in northern Namibia, was bone dry when the counts were done.
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| Summary of the 2011 Summer Wetland Bird Counts_44_3.pdf | 205.32 KB |
This article continues the series on trends in Namibian waterbird populations and summarises count data for herons and egrets 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.
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| Trends in Namibian Waterbird Populations 4_Herons and Egrets Part 2.pdf | 489.09 KB |
The fifth article in the series on trends in Namibian waterbird populations summarises count data for storks and ibises 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.
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| Trends in Namibian Waterbird Populations 5_Storks and Ibises.pdf | 473.91 KB |
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), 6 to 10 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. NW Namibia was a block-sample count flown by helicopter (with some areas of known high occupancy being total-counted).
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| Countrywide survey of elephants in Namibia_2011.pdf | 1.22 MB |
Leopards are the most widely-distributed wild cat on earth. They are found throughout most of sub-Saharan Africa and in smaller populations within the Middle East, southwest Asia, southeast Asia and north to the Amur peninsula of the Russian Far-East. Throughout this distribution, leopards have persisted in hostile areas outside of protected areas due to their secretive nature and adaptable ability to live in a variety of habitats including sub-urban environments.
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| Namibian National Leopard Survey_2011.pdf | 565.33 KB |
Numbers of some species were up in 2011 due to the effect of good rains. This also caused a decrease in Mountain Zebra numbers as they moved westwards out of the park.
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| Gondwana Canon Park game count 2011.pdf | 955.49 KB |
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| Gondwana Kalahari Park game count 2011.pdf | 570.52 KB |