How to become a conservation professional

Official title: Conservation professionals

Also called: Conservation adviser, Head of conservation, Conservation manager, Conservation officer, Chief conservation officer, Water conservation officer, Energy conservation officer, Senior conservation officer, Assistant conservation officer, Field officer, Access officer, Ecology officer

Conservation professionals are responsible for ensuring that landscapes, habitats and species are protected and enhanced via appropriate management and conservation. They promote public understanding and awareness of the natural environment and help to develop and implement appropriate policies to achieve these objectives. They manage water related impacts on the land and surrounding buildings and create safe environments around habitats for public access.

Main tasks

• Promotes and implements local and national biodiversity action plans, particularly with regard to threatened species and habitats
• Carries out environmental impact assessments and field surveys
• Implements, evaluates and monitors schemes for the management and protection of natural habitats
• Provides advice and information to government at national and local levels, clients, landowners, planners and developers to facilitate the protection of the natural environment
• Liaises with other groups in the selection and maintenance of the Protected Site System including Special Areas of Conservation (SACs), Ramsar sites, and Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) and National Nature Reserves (NNRs)
• Maintains and develops knowledge in relevant policy areas within a national and European legislative context
• Promotes conservation issues via educational talks, displays, workshops and literature and liaison with the media
• Prepares applications for funding to other organisations, and assessing applications for funding from other organisations

How to become one

Entrants normally require a degree in a relevant subject, sometimes with a related postgraduate qualification. Entry is also possible with a relevant BTEC/SQA Award or HND. Prior practical work experience (which may be obtained on a voluntary basis) is needed for most posts. Additional on-the-job training is available

Ways in

• Apprenticeship (England): Countryside worker (level 2). England. Typically 12 months. Skills England standard ST0408.
• Apprenticeship (England): Ecologist (integrated degree) (level 7). England. Typically 36 months. Skills England standard ST0577.
• Apprenticeship (England): Historic environment advisor (level 7). England. Typically 36 months. Skills England standard ST0831.
• University: Science degrees, Offered by 27 universities in the UK
• University: Agriculture & Environment degrees, Offered by 25 universities in the UK

Pay · Outlook

• Median full-time pay: £40,083 a year The middle half earn £33,439 to null.
• About 21,600 people work in this job now, and about 24,000 are projected by 2035. (+11.1%)

Related jobs

• Environment professionals

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Questions people ask

How do I become a conservation professional?

Entrants normally require a degree in a relevant subject, sometimes with a related postgraduate qualification. Entry is also possible with a relevant BTEC/SQA Award or HND. Prior practical work experience (which may be obtained on a voluntary basis) is needed for most posts. Additional on-the-job training is available

How much does a conservation professional earn in the UK?

Median full-time pay is £40,083 a year (Office for National Statistics).

Is a conservation professional a growing career in the UK?

Yes. Employment is projected to grow 11% by 2035, from about 21,600 to about 24,000 people (Department for Education).

Do you need a degree to become a conservation professional?

Usually. 91% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

Sources

• Office for National Statistics: Annual Population Survey: employment by occupation (April 2025 to March 2026), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
• Office for National Statistics: SOC 2020 Volume 1: structure and descriptions (2026-08-27 edition), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
• Department for Education: Skills Imperative 2035: employment projections by occupation (2021 to 2035 (Warwick IER / Cambridge Econometrics)), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
• Office for National Statistics: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14 (2025 provisional), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03

Updated 2026-10-03

Graduate outcomes: Discover Uni dataset, HESA (www.hesa.ac.uk), licensed under CC BY 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0). Aggregated by subject and adapted by Peernovo.