During the 2014 dry season, a fixed-wing aerial survey of elephants in the Greater Mapungubwe Transfrontier Conservation Area (GMTFCA), Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe and of large mammals in the Northern Tuli Game Reserve (NTGR) and Mapungubwe National Park (MNP), Botswana and South Africa were conducted. The aerial survey was commissioned by the Central Limpopo River Valley Elephant Research Project and the Northern Tuli Game Farmers Association (Notugre). Three fixed-wing planes were used to fly a total count of the elephant population, with parallel transects across the GMTFCA study area, while one fixed-wing plane was used to fly a total count of large mammals in the NTGR and MNP. The study area totalled 2905km2. The principle objective of the survey was to provide relative accurate estimates of the numbers of elephant and other large mammals in the survey area, using methodology similar to previous counts, to ensure repeatability and monitor trends in numbers and distributions of elephants and other large mammals within the study area. This report provides the results of this survey. Maps and tables illustrating the distribution, numbers, density and trends of large mammal species in the study area are provided.
