Life, Physical, and Social Science · Holland code IRC

Environmental Restoration Planners

Collaborate with field and biology staff to oversee the implementation of restoration projects and to develop new products. Process and synthesize complex scientific data into practical strategies for restoration, monitoring or management.

Also called: Coastal and Estuary Specialist, Habitat Restoration Specialist, Marine Habitat Resources Specialist, Restoration Ecologist, Fisheries Habitat Restoration Specialist, Restoration Specialist, Watershed Coordinator.

O*NET 19-2041.02

At a glance

US median annual pay: $82,220; Middle half earn $64,490 to $107,970. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Most common education: Bachelor's Degree; 50% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
Preparation needed: Job Zone 5 of 5; Extensive preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.
US employment outlook, 2024 to 2034: +4% · As fast as average; 90,300 jobs in 2024, projected 94,300. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, which groups this with similar roles as "Environmental scientists and specialists".

What the work involves

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

Develop environmental restoration project schedules and budgets.
Provide technical direction on environmental planning to energy engineers, biologists, geologists, or other professionals working to develop restoration plans or strategies.
Create habitat management or restoration plans, such as native tree restoration and weed control.
Conduct site assessments to certify a habitat or to ascertain environmental damage or restoration needs.
Collect and analyze data to determine environmental conditions and restoration needs.
Supervise and provide technical guidance, training, or assistance to employees working in the field to restore habitats.
Plan environmental restoration projects, using biological databases, environmental strategies, and planning software.
Communicate findings of environmental studies or proposals for environmental remediation to other restoration professionals.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Critical Thinking4.0 / 5
Reading Comprehension3.9 / 5
Active Listening3.9 / 5
Writing3.9 / 5
Speaking3.9 / 5
Monitoring3.8 / 5

Knowledge areas

Biology4.7 / 5
English Language4.0 / 5
Geography3.8 / 5
Design3.7 / 5
Mathematics3.6 / 5
Administration and Management3.5 / 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.

Realistic72
Investigative88
Artistic21
Social19
Enterprising44
Conventional52

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)

ecologist · DE Ökologe/Ökologin · FR écologue
environmental programme coordinator · DE Programmkoordinator Umwelt/Programmkoordinatorin Umwelt · FR coordonnateur de programmes environnementaux/coordonnatrice de programmes environnementaux
environmental scientist · DE Umweltwissenschaftler/Umweltwissenschaftlerin · FR chargé d’études environnement/chargée d’études environnement
natural resources consultant · DE Berater Natürliche Ressourcen/Beraterin Natürliche Ressourcen · FR conseiller en environnement/conseillère en environnement
environmental engineer · DE Umweltingenieur/Umweltingenieurin · FR ingénieur génie de l’environnement/ingénieure génie de l’environnement
environmental expert · DE Umweltexperte/Umweltexpertin · FR ingénieur environnement/ingénieure environnement

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Conservation professionals (2151)21,900 employed
Environment professionals (2152)80,200 employed
Laboratory technicians (3111)51,100 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 higher third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of +1.01. 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 (19-2041).

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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