KAZA aerial elephant survey to be launched end August

Preparations are underway for the launch of the long-awaited transboundary aerial survey of the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA TFCA) of elephants at the end of this month in Zambia.

The survey was undertaken by the five KAZA partner countries – Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe – and with support from WWF and other partners.

It is estimated that over 24 000 elephants are in the KAZA area of Namibia.

According to a statement issued by KAZA on 22 August last year, the first two flights took to the skies in Zimbabwe, marking the start of the flying component of the KAZA Elephant Survey.

Flying was completed on 28 October last year, resulting in a total of 700 hours of flying spread over 68 days spent collecting data.

The methodology, scale, and scope of the survey were the first of their kind, with coordinated flying covering almost 60% of the 520 000 square kilometres of the KAZA landscape.

Namibia contributes about 14% of this area.

"Data analysis was finalised in March this year, culminating in a comprehensive technical report documenting the implementation process and outcomes of the survey, which was completed in May this year."

First of a kind

It said following consultation with the African Elephant Specialist Group, an independent review of the technical report was undertaken by three leading experts who submitted their report to the KAZA secretariat.

"The 2022 KAZA Elephant Survey was a remarkable achievement, since it was the first time that Africa’s largest elephant population was surveyed in a single, fully coordinated exercise. Considerable effort was put into ensuring that the survey was conducted according to CITES MIKE Aerial Survey Standards (CITES MIKE standards)," said the Independent expert reviewers.

According to them, these efforts were largely successful, and the survey has set a new benchmark for strip-sampled aerial surveys for elephants.

"The principal objective of the survey, achieving a precise and accurate estimate of the number of live elephants in the KAZA TFCA, has been achieved within the generally understood limitations of the technique."

The KAZA Elephant Survey coordination team has since addressed feedback from the independent review process.

Strategic activity

In parallel, preparations are underway for a launch event on 31 August during which the results of the KAZA Elephant Survey will be publicly announced in Livingstone, Zambia.

"Getting to this stage of the survey is exciting for all of us. After meticulous planning and execution of this large-scale scientific project, it is befitting that we announce the launch of the survey results on the same day when flying for the survey began last year. We can now look forward to the implementation of recommendations going forward," said the executive director of the KAZA secretariat, Dr Nyambe Nyambe.

Attendance at the launch event will be limited to the KAZA partner states, donors and international cooperation partners that supported the survey, regional and international media, and NGO partners that supported various aspects of the survey from planning to implementation. The event will, however, be livestreamed.

The survey is a strategic activity of the KAZA Strategic Planning Framework for the Conservation and Management of Elephants (2019) undertaken to establish a relatively precise and accurate estimate of the number of African savannah elephants in KAZA’s contiguous elephant population.

It also estimated carcasses and the distribution of elephants and other large wild and domestic herbivores. The results of the survey will therefore provide updated knowledge on population status, habitats, and other factors important for policy and the management of elephants in KAZA.