Perspective

Elephant Early-warning System in China: Leveraging Information Superiority to Mitigate Human-elephant Conflict

^a Yunnan Key Laboratory of Forest Ecosystem Stability and Global Change, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla, Yunnan 666303, China
^b National Forest Ecosystem Research Station at Xishuangbanna, Mengla, Yunnan 666303, China
^c. Xishuangbanna Prefecture Forestry and Grassland Bureau, Jinghong, Yunnan 666100, China
^d Research Institute of Xishuangbanna National Nature Reserve, Jinghong, Yunnan 666100, China
^e Xishuangbanna Prefecture Asian Elephant Conservation and Management Center, Jinghong, Yunnan 666100, China
^f Southeast Asia Biodiversity Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences & Center for Integrative Conservation, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla, Yunnan 666303, China
^g Yunnan International Joint Laboratory of Southeast Asia Biodiversity Conservation & Yunnan Key Laboratory for Conservation of Tropical Rainforests and Asian Elephants, Mengla, Yunnan 666303, China
^h Yunnan International Joint Laboratory for the Conservation and Utilization of Tropical Timber Tree Species, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla, Yunnan 666303, China

^* First and corresponding author. Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (DENG Y.)

Abstract

Human-elephant conflict (HEC) poses a major socio-ecological challenge across elephant range states. Since 2015, the National Forest Ecosystem Research Station of China based in Xishuangbanna has developed the Elephant Early-warning System (EEWS), a novel approach that has demonstrably reduced the risk of HEC incidents—particularly those involving direct encounters between people and elephants. By dynamically maintaining safety buffers, this system safeguards endangered elephants while mitigating human safety risks during livelihood activities and ensuring uninterrupted elephant movement. Building upon the C4ISR framework (Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance), EEWS integrates key technological and institutional innovations—including the widespread adoption of mobile internet, deployment of camera traps, use of drones, and cross-sectoral governance reforms. The EEWS’s conceptual framework and technical architecture have been already recognized by local government and are now being scaled up from Xishuangbanna to the entire Asian elephant range in China, establishing a replicable “China model” for achieving harmonious human-elephant coexistence. This study reviews the conceptual foundations, development, and field implementation of EEWS, and offers recommendations to guide future refinement and broader application.