Botanical gardens use pest control methods that can harm non-target wildlife including birds, small mammals, and invertebrates. Welfare-conscious management protects the whole garden ecosystem.
Botanical gardens hold a dual role: as curators of plant diversity, they must protect collections from pest damage, yet as urban wildlife refuges, they should minimise harm to the animals that depend on their habitats. Rodenticide use is particularly problematic given the secondary poisoning risk to garden predators including owls, kestrels, and foxes. Integrated pest management approaches — combining physical exclusion, biological control, trap-based rodent control, and targeted intervention — can reduce pest damage with minimal wildlife welfare impact. Botanical gardens that adopt and publicise welfare-conscious pest control demonstrate leadership to the public visitors they serve.