Life, Physical, and Social Science · Holland code IRC

Conservation Scientists

Manage, improve, and protect natural resources to maximize their use without damaging the environment. May conduct soil surveys and develop plans to eliminate soil erosion or to protect rangelands. May instruct farmers, agricultural production managers, or ranchers in best ways to use crop rotation, contour plowing, or terracing to conserve soil and water; in the number and kind of livestock and forage plants best suited to particular ranges; and in range and farm improvements, such as fencing and reservoirs for stock watering.

Also called: Conservationist, Land Resource Specialist, Research Soil Scientist, Resource Conservationist, Environmental Analyst, Environmental Quality Scientist, Erosion Control Specialist, Land Reclamation Specialist.

O*NET 19-1031.00

At a glance

US median annual pay: $73,010; Middle half earn $57,700 to $91,560. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Most common education: Bachelor's Degree; 70% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
Preparation needed: Job Zone 4 of 5; Considerable preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.

What the work involves

The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.

Apply principles of specialized fields of science, such as agronomy, soil science, forestry, or agriculture, to achieve conservation objectives.
Plan soil management or conservation practices, such as crop rotation, reforestation, permanent vegetation, contour plowing, or terracing, to maintain soil or conserve water.
Monitor projects during or after construction to ensure projects conform to design specifications.
Advise land users, such as farmers or ranchers, on plans, problems, or alternative conservation solutions.
Implement soil or water management techniques, such as nutrient management, erosion control, buffers, or filter strips, in accordance with conservation plans.
Compute design specifications for implementation of conservation practices, using survey or field information, technical guides or engineering manuals.
Gather information from geographic information systems (GIS) databases or applications to formulate land use recommendations.
Participate on work teams to plan, develop, or implement programs or policies for improving environmental habitats, wetlands, or groundwater or soil resources.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Reading Comprehension3.9 / 5
Active Listening3.9 / 5
Speaking3.6 / 5
Writing3.5 / 5
Science3.5 / 5
Critical Thinking3.5 / 5

Knowledge areas

English Language4.3 / 5
Biology3.9 / 5
Mathematics3.7 / 5
Geography3.7 / 5
Customer and Personal Service3.6 / 5
Chemistry3.5 / 5

Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.

Who tends to enjoy it

How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.

Realistic69
Investigative78
Artistic16
Social31
Enterprising36
Conventional50

The same work abroad

Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.

European occupation titles (ESCO)

environmental geologist · DE Umweltgeologe/Umweltgeologin · FR géologue environnementaliste
palaeontologist · DE Paläontologe/Paläontologin · FR paléontologue
soil scientist · DE Bodenwissenschaftler/Bodenwissenschaftlerin · FR pédologue
conservation scientist · DE Wissenschaftler Natur- und Artenschutz/Wissenschaftlerin Natur- und Artenschutz · FR agent chargé de protection et sauvegarde du patrimoine naturel/agente chargée de protection et sauvegarde du patrimoine naturel
ecologist · DE Ökologe/Ökologin · FR écologue
environmental scientist · DE Umweltwissenschaftler/Umweltwissenschaftlerin · FR chargé d’études environnement/chargée d’études environnement

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Conservation professionals (2151)21,900 employed
Natural and social science professionals n.e.c. (2119)36,500 employed
Other researchers, unspecified discipline (2162)78,200 employed

Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.

Pay across Europe, for the whole group

Median annual earnings of all employees in “Professionals”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.

Median annual earnings, Professionals, by country
Country	Median pay
Belgium	€61,714
Germany	€59,529
Ireland	€56,877
Austria	€55,374
Netherlands	€53,595
Sweden	€43,567
France	€41,515
Spain	€35,735
Italy	€33,649
Portugal	€26,072
Poland	€14,380

Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.

Exposure to AI

This occupation sits in the middle third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of +0.07. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.

Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.

Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (19-1031).

Is it a fit for you?

Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.

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