Genetic diversity loss through inbreeding in small populations reduces immune function and adaptive capacity, creating diffuse welfare costs across individuals and populations.
Genetic diversity loss creates welfare costs that are invisible at the individual level but accumulate across populations as elevated disease susceptibility, reduced reproductive success, and impaired adaptive capacity. The Florida panther case illustrates both the welfare harm and the intervention: before genetic rescue, panthers showed cryptorchidism, cardiac defects, and kinked tails from inbreeding; after introduction of Texas puma individuals, subsequent generations showed dramatically improved health indicators. Small captive populations require active genetic management to prevent the inbreeding that would otherwise accumulate over generations. The welfare case for genetic rescue parallels the conservation case — improving genetic diversity improves individual health outcomes across the population, reducing the cumulative burden of inbreeding-related disease.