Jobs / Science and research / 19-1031.00
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.
- US jobs
- 25,950
- Median wage
- $73,010 a year
- Job family
- Science and research
Can agents do the work of conservation scientists?
We read the evidence at the level of the job family, Science and research:
- Task levelPartialThin evidence. CORE-Bench asks agents to reproduce the results of published papers in computer science, social science, and medicine from the authors' code and data. Princeton's HAL team declared it solved in December 2025: Claude Code with Claude Opus 4.5 scored 95.5% after manual regrading. No benchmark in our collection tests new experiments or lab work.
- Project levelNot yetThin evidence. On PaperBench, where agents replicate machine learning papers from scratch, the best official result is 26.0% (o1, April 2025). On a small subset, ML PhDs scored 41.4% against o1's 26.6%. No newer official results exist, and no benchmark tests research projects in other sciences.
Benchmarks for the job family
These cover work in science and research, not always this occupation's tasks.
- 95.5%Claude Code + Claude Opus 4.5 (after manual regrading) · 3 Dec 2025Solved
Typical tasks
From O*NET 31.0. Core tasks first. Few of these tasks have a benchmark today.
- 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.
- Compute cost estimates of different conservation practices, based on needs of land users, maintenance requirements, or life expectancy of practices.
- Develop or maintain working relationships with local government staff or board members.
- Revisit land users to view implemented land use practices or plans.
- Visit areas affected by erosion problems to identify causes or determine solutions.
Other job titles for this occupation (57)
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 · Agricultural Consultant · Agriculture Consultant · Aquatic Ecologist · Aquatic Habitat Restoration Technician · Botany Technician · Conservation Agent · Conservation Associate · Conservation Engineer · Conservation Policy Analyst · Conservation Science Officer · Conservation Scientist · Conservation Specialist · Department of Natural Resources Officer (DNR Officer) · District Conservationist · Ecologist Technician · Environmental Consultant · Environmental Planner · Environmental Specialist · Erosion and Sediment Control Professional · Erosion Control Coordinator · Erosion Control Design and Installation Contractor · Farm Planner · Field Agronomist · Grassland Conservationist · Interdisciplinary Environmental Engineer · Land Use Planner · Natural Resources Scientist · Natural Resources Specialist · Physical Scientist · Range Conservationist · Range Ecologist · Range Scientist · Reclamation Specialist · Resource Physical Scientist · Resource Physical Specialist · Resource Scientist · Resources Conservation Commissioner · Restoration Ecologist · Soil Conservation Technician · Soil Surveyor · Terrestrial Ecologist · Terrestrial Habitat Restoration Technician · Water Conservation Specialist · Water Conservationist · Wetland Scientist · Wetland Specialist · Wetlands Technician