Wildlife biologist vs restoration ecologist

The differences between wildlife biologists and restoration ecologists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a wildlife biologist and a restoration ecologist. Additionally, a wildlife biologist has an average salary of $51,084, which is higher than the $50,256 average annual salary of a restoration ecologist.

The top three skills for a wildlife biologist include USDA, wildlife species and GIS. The most important skills for a restoration ecologist are wetland, restoration projects, and BLM.

Wildlife biologist vs restoration ecologist overview

	Wildlife Biologist	Restoration Ecologist
Yearly salary	$51,084	$50,256
Hourly rate	$24.56	$24.16
Growth rate	1%	1%
Number of jobs	5,376	7,927
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 81%	Bachelor's Degree, 85%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	2	2

Wildlife biologist vs restoration ecologist salary

Wildlife biologists and restoration ecologists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Wildlife Biologist	Restoration Ecologist
Average salary	$51,084	$50,256
Salary range	Between $34,000 And $75,000	Between $33,000 And $75,000
Highest paying City	Anchorage, AK	-
Highest paying state	Alaska	-
Best paying company	Idaho National Lab	-
Best paying industry	Technology	-

Differences between wildlife biologist and restoration ecologist education

There are a few differences between a wildlife biologist and a restoration ecologist in terms of educational background:

	Wildlife Biologist	Restoration Ecologist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 81%	Bachelor's Degree, 85%
Most common major	Biology	Environmental Science
Most common college	University of California - Davis	Duke University

Wildlife biologist vs restoration ecologist demographics

Here are the differences between wildlife biologists' and restoration ecologists' demographics:

	Wildlife Biologist	Restoration Ecologist
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 62.8% Female, 37.2%	Male, 69.1% Female, 30.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.6% Asian, 10.4% White, 72.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	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%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between wildlife biologist and restoration ecologist duties and responsibilities

Wildlife biologist example responsibilities.

Utilize ArcGIS to create navigational maps, as well as uploading, managing and analyzing data for habitat suitability.
Create and manage multidisciplinary, interagency research teams.
Perform nuisance wildlife removal for animals such as squirrels, bats, raccoons, opossums, snakes, and skunks.
Complete regulatory compliance and permitting documentation for projects requiring ESA consultations including preparation of biological opinions.
Assist with prescribe burns on DNR land.
Supervise and participate in the annual raptor nest survey.

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.

Wildlife biologist vs restoration ecologist skills

Common wildlife biologist skills

USDA, 13%
Wildlife Species, 9%
GIS, 7%
Harvest, 6%
GPS, 5%
Natural Resources, 5%

Common restoration ecologist skills

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

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Wildlife Biologist
Wildlife Biologist vs Restoration Ecologist

Updated January 8, 2025

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