UK: Biological Invasions and Animal Welfare Consequences

A study published in Nature Communications and reported by the University of Bristol today draws attention to the impact of biological invasions on animal welfare. Biological invasions, understood as the introduction and spread of non-native species into new environments, are widely recognised as a major driver of biodiversity loss. The new research emphasises that their consequences extend beyond ecological disruption to include significant suffering experienced by animals themselves. These impacts may arise in multiple ways, including predation, competition, disease transmission, or environmental changes that affect animals’ ability to survive and reproduce. In this context, the study proposes a more systematic way of assessing such effects at the level of individual animals. To this end, the authors introduce the Animal Welfare Impact Classification for Invasion Science (AWICIS), a framework designed to identify how biological invasions affect the welfare of individual animals. This framework was applied to existing studies of invasions involving birds and ants and found that invasive ant species often cause severe welfare impacts, while introduced bird species have less severe effects. The findings highlight the importance of strengthening global biosecurity measures to prevent biological invasions and the associated impacts on animal welfare. AWICIS is publicly available for use in research.