How to become a Conservation Scientist 2024

Conservation Scientist 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.

Conservation Scientist is Also Know as

In different settings, Conservation Scientist is titled as

Conservationist
Environmental Analyst
Environmental Quality Scientist
Erosion Control Specialist
Land Reclamation Specialist
Land Resource Specialist
Research Soil Scientist
Resource Conservation Specialist
Resource Conservationist
Soil Conservationist

Education and Training of Conservation Scientist

Conservation Scientist is categorized in Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed

Experience Required for Conservation Scientist

A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.

Education Required for Conservation Scientist

Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

Degrees Related to Conservation Scientist

Training Required for Conservation Scientist

Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.

Related Ocuupations

Some Ocuupations related to Conservation Scientist in different industries are

What Do Conservation Scientist do?

Implement soil or water management techniques, such as nutrient management, erosion control, buffers, or filter strips, in accordance with conservation plans.
Advise land users, such as farmers or ranchers, on plans, problems, or alternative conservation solutions.
Monitor projects during or after construction to ensure projects conform to design specifications.
Visit areas affected by erosion problems to identify causes or determine solutions.
Develop or maintain working relationships with local government staff or board members.
Apply principles of specialized fields of science, such as agronomy, soil science, forestry, or agriculture, to achieve conservation objectives.
Gather information from geographic information systems (GIS) databases or applications to formulate land use recommendations.
Compute design specifications for implementation of conservation practices, using survey or field information, technical guides or engineering manuals.
Participate on work teams to plan, develop, or implement programs or policies for improving environmental habitats, wetlands, or groundwater or soil resources.
Conduct fact-finding or mediation sessions among government units, landowners, or other agencies to resolve disputes.
Revisit land users to view implemented land use practices or plans.
Respond to complaints or questions on wetland jurisdiction, providing information or clarification.
Compute cost estimates of different conservation practices, based on needs of land users, maintenance requirements, or life expectancy of practices.
Provide information, knowledge, expertise, or training to government agencies at all levels to solve water or soil management problems or to assure coordination of resource protection activities.
Analyze results of investigations to determine measures needed to maintain or restore proper soil management.
Coordinate or implement technical, financial, or administrative assistance programs for local government units to ensure efficient program implementation or timely responses to requests for assistance.
Identify or recommend integrated weed and pest management (IPM) strategies, such as resistant plants, cultural or behavioral controls, soil amendments, insects, natural enemies, barriers, or pesticides.
Review proposed wetland restoration easements or provide technical recommendations.
Develop, conduct, or participate in surveys, studies, or investigations of various land uses to inform corrective action plans.
Manage field offices or involve staff in cooperative ventures.
Plan soil management or conservation practices, such as crop rotation, reforestation, permanent vegetation, contour plowing, or terracing, to maintain soil or conserve water.
Initiate, schedule, or conduct annual audits or compliance checks of program implementation by local government.
Develop water conservation or harvest plans, using weather information systems, irrigation information management systems, or other sources of daily evapotranspiration (ET) data.
Review or approve amendments to comprehensive local water plans or conservation district plans.
Develop or conduct environmental studies, such as plant material field trials or wildlife habitat impact studies.
Enter local soil, water, or other environmental data into adaptive or Web-based decision tools to identify appropriate analyses or techniques.
Compile or interpret biodata to determine extent or type of wetlands or to aid in program formulation.
Review annual reports of counties, conservation districts, or watershed management organizations, certifying compliance with mandated reporting requirements.
Review grant applications or make funding recommendations.
Develop soil maps.

Qualities of Good Conservation Scientist

Oral Comprehension: The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Written Comprehension: The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
Oral Expression: The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Information Ordering: The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
Problem Sensitivity: The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
Deductive Reasoning: The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
Written Expression: The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
Speech Clarity: The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
Inductive Reasoning: The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
Category Flexibility: The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
Speech Recognition: The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
Near Vision: The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
Flexibility of Closure: The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
Originality: The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
Fluency of Ideas: The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
Mathematical Reasoning: The ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem.
Number Facility: The ability to add, subtract, multiply, or divide quickly and correctly.
Perceptual Speed: The ability to quickly and accurately compare similarities and differences among sets of letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns. The things to be compared may be presented at the same time or one after the other. This ability also includes comparing a presented object with a remembered object.
Far Vision: The ability to see details at a distance.
Selective Attention: The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
Visualization: The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.
Visual Color Discrimination: The ability to match or detect differences between colors, including shades of color and brightness.
Time Sharing: The ability to shift back and forth between two or more activities or sources of information (such as speech, sounds, touch, or other sources).
Speed of Closure: The ability to quickly make sense of, combine, and organize information into meaningful patterns.
Memorization: The ability to remember information such as words, numbers, pictures, and procedures.
Arm-Hand Steadiness: The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
Trunk Strength: The ability to use your abdominal and lower back muscles to support part of the body repeatedly or continuously over time without "giving out" or fatiguing.
Static Strength: The ability to exert maximum muscle force to lift, push, pull, or carry objects.
Wrist-Finger Speed: The ability to make fast, simple, repeated movements of the fingers, hands, and wrists.
Spatial Orientation: The ability to know your location in relation to the environment or to know where other objects are in relation to you.
Auditory Attention: The ability to focus on a single source of sound in the presence of other distracting sounds.
Explosive Strength: The ability to use short bursts of muscle force to propel oneself (as in jumping or sprinting), or to throw an object.
Dynamic Strength: The ability to exert muscle force repeatedly or continuously over time. This involves muscular endurance and resistance to muscle fatigue.
Stamina: The ability to exert yourself physically over long periods of time without getting winded or out of breath.
Multilimb Coordination: The ability to coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion.
Control Precision: The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
Finger Dexterity: The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
Manual Dexterity: The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
Extent Flexibility: The ability to bend, stretch, twist, or reach with your body, arms, and/or legs.
Hearing Sensitivity: The ability to detect or tell the differences between sounds that vary in pitch and loudness.
Gross Body Coordination: The ability to coordinate the movement of your arms, legs, and torso together when the whole body is in motion.
Depth Perception: The ability to judge which of several objects is closer or farther away from you, or to judge the distance between you and an object.
Peripheral Vision: The ability to see objects or movement of objects to one's side when the eyes are looking ahead.
Night Vision: The ability to see under low-light conditions.
Gross Body Equilibrium: The ability to keep or regain your body balance or stay upright when in an unstable position.
Reaction Time: The ability to quickly respond (with the hand, finger, or foot) to a signal (sound, light, picture) when it appears.
Rate Control: The ability to time your movements or the movement of a piece of equipment in anticipation of changes in the speed and/or direction of a moving object or scene.
Response Orientation: The ability to choose quickly between two or more movements in response to two or more different signals (lights, sounds, pictures). It includes the speed with which the correct response is started with the hand, foot, or other body part.
Glare Sensitivity: The ability to see objects in the presence of a glare or bright lighting.
Sound Localization: The ability to tell the direction from which a sound originated.
Speed of Limb Movement: The ability to quickly move the arms and legs.
Dynamic Flexibility: The ability to quickly and repeatedly bend, stretch, twist, or reach out with your body, arms, and/or legs.

Tools Used by Conservation Scientist

Desktop computers
Digital cameras
Dumpy levels
Dutch augers
Global positioning system GPS receivers
Laptop computers
Laser distance measurement systems
Personal computers
Theodolites
Total stations
Water samplers

Technology Skills required for Conservation Scientist

Adobe Acrobat
Autodesk AutoCAD
Autodesk Maya
Clover Technology GALENA
CroPMan
CropSyst Suite
Datasurge GEOPRO
Delft GeoSystems MStab
Email software
ESRI ArcGIS software
ESRI ArcInfo
ESRI ArcView
GEO-SLOPE SEEP/W
Geographic information system GIS software
Geographic information system GIS systems
GFA2D
Global positioning system GPS software
HYDRUS-2D
Interstudio Geo-Tec B
Landscape Management System LMS
Microsoft Access
Microsoft Active Server Pages ASP
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Office software
Microsoft Outlook
Microsoft PowerPoint
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Word
Mitre Software GSLOPE
Salix Applied Earthcare Erosion Draw
State Soil Geographic STATSGO Database
Studio of Analytical Models STANMOD
U.S. Department of Agriculture USDA WinSRM
USDA Forest Vegetation Simulator FVS
Water resources databases
Water Soil and Hydro-Environmental Decision Support System WATERSHEDSS
Web browser software
WinEPIC
Word processing software

US Universities

How to become Conservation Scientist in 2024