Managing invasive species to protect native biodiversity often involves lethal control methods that raise welfare concerns, requiring careful balancing of conservation priorities with humane treatment of individual animals.
Invasive species management creates an ethical tension between the welfare of individual invasive animals and the ecological welfare of native species they displace or kill. Native species suffering from invasive predation or competition represent a welfare concern alongside the welfare of the animals being controlled. Welfare considerations in invasive species management include the humaneness of killing methods, the avoidance of non-target captures, and the exploration of non-lethal alternatives where feasible. The animals being controlled are not morally responsible for their displacement to new environments.