'Habitat gridlock': Asian elephants' range shifting east, says CMS Report

As most elephants from India and Sri Lanka cannot go east, human-pachyderm conflicts will escalate

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(DowntoEarth) Asian elephant range is shifting from South Asia (India and Sri Lanka) to Southeast Asia.

However, since elephants in these two locations cannot follow, there will be an escalation in human-pachyderm conflict, a new report by the United Nations has warned.

The assessment was released by the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) on October 2, 2025. It encapsulated the findings of a major workshop, which detail how climate change disruption is affecting migratory species across the board.

“Held 11-13 February 2025 in Edinburgh, United Kingdom, the Migratory Species & Climate Change Expert Workshop gathered 73 leading international experts, including scientists, wildlife managers, representatives of intergovernmental agencies, and NGOs from around the world,” a statement by CMS noted.