Ethics of Gene Drives

Gene drives are genetic mutations that can force an unfavorable trait to permeate a population. You can read more about them here. Most of the concern surrounding this technology is that it could upset ecological balance and destroy entire species. Is there any way to prevent this from happening? With something like gene mutation, it seems impossible to determine any sort of ecological impact from inside a lab. Since there are so many independent variables in nature, the only way to fully test the technology is by taking it into the field. So, if there's no way of preventing the accidental destruction of a species, our question should really be: why do we want to change a species? If we have a good answer to this, I think the negative consequences will be justified. The evolutionary path to Homo sapiens was wrought with destruction, but the price of destruction paid for a better world.