By Abdullahi Lukman
Migratory species worldwide are facing mounting threats from climate change, according to a new report released by the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS).
The findings stem from an expert workshop held in Edinburgh, United Kingdom, earlier this year, which brought together 73 scientists, wildlife managers, and conservationists to assess climate-driven impacts on migratory animals.
The report highlights widespread disruptions across all migratory species groups due to rising temperatures, extreme weather, shifting water systems, and habitat fragmentation.
These disruptions are leading to shrinking habitats, altered migration routes, and dangerous timing mismatches in reproduction and food availability.
Among the key findings:
* Shorebird nesting in the Arctic is increasingly misaligned with insect emergence due to erratic climate patterns, reducing chick survival.
* Asian elephants in India and Sri Lanka face “habitat gridlock” as climate shifts their range but limited connectivity prevents movement, intensifying human-elephant conflicts.
* North Atlantic right whales are forced off traditional migratory routes due to warming seas, reducing access to food and harming reproduction.
* Himalayan species like musk deer and pheasants are being pushed to higher elevations, losing over half their range in some cases.
* Extreme heatwaves—from the Amazon River to the Mediterranean Sea—are killing species such as river dolphins and threatening marine mammals like fin whales and dolphins due to prey loss and pollution stress.
* Seagrass meadows, crucial carbon sinks and biodiversity hubs, are under threat from rising sea levels, cyclones, and marine heatwaves.
Despite the grim outlook, experts point to actionable solutions already in use.
These include ecological corridors for land species and dynamic ocean management for marine wildlife.
The report stresses that migratory species, such as whales and elephants, are not only vital to ecosystem health but also to climate change mitigation by supporting nutrient cycles and carbon storage.
CMS Executive Secretary Amy Fraenkel called migratory animals “the planet’s early-warning system,” noting that their struggles reflect the urgent need for global climate action.
“From monarch butterflies vanishing from our gardens to whales veering off course, these travelers are sending a clear signal,” she said.
The workshop, hosted by the UK Government’s Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC), was organized by the CMS Scientific Council’s Climate Change Expert Group. Its findings will inform decisions at the upcoming CMS COP15, scheduled for March 2026 in Brazil.
Dr. Des Thompson, CMS Scientific Councillor for Climate Change, emphasized the importance of sharing successful adaptation strategies, including community-based efforts that integrate Indigenous knowledge.
The report called for stronger international cooperation, greater financial investment, and closer alignment between climate and biodiversity agendas to safeguard migratory species and the ecosystems they help sustain.
