Why might it be beneficial for governments to restrict the types of plants and animals that individuals can keep as pets in a particular environment?

Because it can prevent the emergence of pests.

Explanation:

There are exotic and wild species that, when grown or released in another region other than their natural habitat, can become devastating pests. To prevent this from happening, governments restrict the types of plants and animals that individuals can keep as pets in a specific environment.

We can use as an example of this, a situation that occurs in Brazil, when it was still a Portuguese colony. There were no snails in Brazil, but the Portuguese took a large amount of the African snail to Brazil so they could eat Escargot. However, Escargot is not made with the African snail, when the Portuguese realized this, released the snails in the Brazilian territory, which has become a pest that attacks agriculture and causes disease.