Restoration ecologist vs field naturalist

The differences between restoration ecologists and field naturalists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a restoration ecologist and a field naturalist. Additionally, a restoration ecologist has an average salary of $50,256, which is higher than the $38,213 average annual salary of a field naturalist.

The top three skills for a restoration ecologist include wetland, restoration projects and BLM. The most important skills for a field naturalist are social science, native plants, and .

Restoration ecologist vs field naturalist overview

	Restoration Ecologist	Field Naturalist
Yearly salary	$50,256	$38,213
Hourly rate	$24.16	$18.37
Growth rate	1%	1%
Number of jobs	7,927	44,776
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 85%	Bachelor's Degree, 87%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	2	2

Restoration ecologist vs field naturalist salary

Restoration ecologists and field naturalists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Restoration Ecologist	Field Naturalist
Average salary	$50,256	$38,213
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $75,000	Between $22,000 And $66,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between restoration ecologist and field naturalist education

There are a few differences between a restoration ecologist and a field naturalist in terms of educational background:

	Restoration Ecologist	Field Naturalist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 85%	Bachelor's Degree, 87%
Most common major	Environmental Science	Environmental Science
Most common college	Duke University	University of California - Davis

Restoration ecologist vs field naturalist demographics

Here are the differences between restoration ecologists' and field naturalists' demographics:

	Restoration Ecologist	Field Naturalist
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 69.1% Female, 30.9%	Male, 43.6% Female, 56.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 10.4% White, 72.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 2.3% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 6.3% Asian, 11.1% White, 74.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between restoration ecologist and field naturalist duties and responsibilities

Restoration ecologist example responsibilities.

Create and manage multidisciplinary, interagency research teams.
Organize and participate in elk population helicopter survey, utilizing census data to determine big game harvest values for upper management.
Sample Comal river macro-invertebrates in the laboratory.

Field naturalist example responsibilities.

Lead tour groups on both bicycles and kayaks, man small retail/rental outlet as only staff person.
Handle an assortment of animals, such as rats and snakes.
Establish and maintain appropriate systems to monitor, evaluate and report on all operational activities including logistics and program implementation.
Advise area NGOs on policy implications base on preliminary research findings.

Restoration ecologist vs field naturalist skills

Common restoration ecologist skills

Wetland, 32%
Restoration Projects, 32%
BLM, 14%
Ecological Restoration, 13%
Habitat Restoration, 5%
Data Collection, 4%

Common field naturalist skills

Social Science, 86%
Native Plants, 14%

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Restoration Ecologist
Restoration Ecologist vs Field Naturalist

Updated January 8, 2025

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