10 Oct 2022

The first ever Kavango Zambezi Trans-Frontier Conservation Area (KAZA-TFCA) elephant aerial survey data gathering process has so far covered more than half of the targeted area.

In an interview recently, KAZA TFCA Executive Director, Dr Nyambe Nyambe said different survey teams completed aerial elephant population counting in Zambia, Zimbabwe and part of Botswana, adding that currently, the exercise was underway in Namibia. 

Dr Nyambe indicated that the teams will end their task in Angola and the data analysis process, which would reveal the actual elephant population in the five KAZA TFCA partner states will follow. 

He said the analysis process is expected to start from the end of this month until the first quarter of next year, with the report expected to be released in the second quarter.

Dr Nyambe was optimistic that the survey would give accurate estimated elephant population because a synchronized data collection methodology was deployed in all the countries at the same time.

He said the report would help the partner states to understand the current status of elephant numbers and their distribution across the KAZA area and make informed decisions based on science.

He said the report would also enhance engagements by partner states at different levels in discussions on the management of elephants.

Dr Nyambe said the issue of over population in some of the partner states came with risks on the biodiversity and human-elephant interactions, hence the survey was a development, adding that it did not only concentrate on elephants, but other large herbivores.

He, however, said the KAZA aerial survey did not replace the need for individual partner states national surveys to make estimations on their elephant population distributions.

Meanwhile on the sidelines of the week long preparatory workshop for  the survey experts held in Botswana in July, the surveys coordinator, Mr Darren Potgieter said seven aircrafts would be flown at the same time sifting across the 519 000 square kilometre KAZA landscape. BOPA