Evaluating the accuracy of some commonly used game-counting methods
The accuracy of game counts on an eastern Transvaal Lowveld game ranch was examined. A drive count was used to produce control estimates of actual population sizes. A helicopter count was more accurate than one from a fixed-wing aircraft. Twenty-four hour waterhole counts were relatively inaccurate. Line transect counts were relatively accurate when a fixed […]
Systematic aerial sample survey of Laikipia county, April 2016 Preliminary Report
A systematic aerial sample survey of Laikipia County (9666km2) was carried out in April 2016 by Kenya’s Directorate of Resource Survey and Remote Sensing survey teams in partnership with Laikipia Wildlife Forum and Mpala Research Centre, with funds from US AID. This report presents the preliminary results as a basis for use by management and […]
A survey of wildlife populations at Wassaniya forest reserve in Sokoto State, Nigeria
A survey of wildlife populations was conducted between May to September 2009, at Wassaniya forest reserve between Tangaza and Gudu Local Government Areas of Sokoto State, Nigeria. The study area was purposively divided into four main plots based on vegetation density and human interference. Three sample plots each measuring 0.5 ha were randomly selected and […]
Long-term population dynamics of African ungulates in Waterberg Plateau National Park, Namibia
The current study was undertaken to determine long-term population trends (33 years) of ungulate species in the Waterberg National Park (WNP), Namibia, using aerial and waterhole counts of ungulates during the years 1980−2013.We tried to establish how rainfall influences the multi-species population dynamics. During this period sixteen ungulates species were recorded. Among these, eight have […]
Cameras replace human observers in multi-species aerial counts in Murchison Falls, Uganda
Wildlife counts in Africa and elsewhere are often implemented using light aircraft with ‘rear-seat-observer’ (RSO) counting crews. Previous research has indicated that RSOs often fail to detect animals, and that population estimates are therefore biased. We conducted aerial wildlife surveys in Murchison Falls Protected Area, Uganda, in which we replaced RSOs with high-definition ‘oblique camera […]
A study of animal movement in the Hoanib River catchment, northwestern Namibia
Seasonal movements of domestic stock and wildlife were analysed across the Hoanib River catchment. Data were gathered by ground and aerial surveys and represent the seasonal movement of animals, rather than the total number of animals in the catchment area. Domestic stock movement and distribution did not vary substantially and appeared to be associated with […]
Precision, accuracy, and costs of survey methods for giraffe Giraffa camelopardalis
Giraffes Giraffa camelopardalis are megafaunal browsers and keystone species in African savanna ecosystems. Range-wide population declines are suspected, but robust data are lacking. Tanzania holds the largest population of giraffe of any range state, and aerial surveys constitute most of Tanzania’s giraffe population monitoring data, but their accuracy has not yet been assessed. An IUCN […]
Updated geographic range maps for giraffe, Giraffa spp., throughout sub-Saharan Africa, and implications of changing distributions for conservation
Giraffe populations have declined in abundance by almost 40% over the last three decades, and the geographic ranges of the species (previously believed to be one, now defined as four species) have been significantly reduced or altered. With substantial changes in land uses, loss of habitat, declining abundance, translocations, and data gaps, the existing geographic […]
Consequences of different forms of conservation for large mammals in Tanzania: preliminary analyses
We examined the effects of protection from human activities and effects of tourist hunting on densities of 21 large mammal species in Tanzania. Aerial censuses revealed that mammal biomass per km2 was highest in National Parks. Densities of nine ungulate species were significantly higher in National Parks and Game Reserves than in areas that permitted […]
Densities of mammals in partially protected areas: the Katavi ecosystem of western Tanzania
In Africa the majority of conservation areas sanction some sort of human activities within their borders but few of them are part of community‐based conservation schemes. The effectiveness of these state‐owned, partially protected areas in conserving mammalian fauna is largely unknown. Large and medium‐sized mammal densities in three different sorts of partially protected area were […]