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AI Automation Index
Will AI Replace Conservation Scientists?
Task-level automation exposure for Conservation Scientists: 30 O*NET tasks scored against their work activities, plus the simulator.
E-E-A-T Verified
Developed & audited by Gini Loh Automation Exposure
50%
weighted task index
30 of 30 tasks scored
Median Salary
$73,010 / year
BLS OEWS, May 2025 — this exact occupation
Employment Level
Medium
25,950 people hold this job — size, not growth
Projected 2025–35
+5.3%
employment change
2,100 openings a year · BLS line item
Pay by state
BLS OEWS publishes 53 state estimates for this occupation. Each is its own survey estimate, not the national median adjusted for local prices.
$50,080 – $99,400
Highest medians
District of Columbia $99,400
Colorado $84,820
Maryland $83,290
Idaho $81,330
Wyoming $81,310
Lowest medians
Virgin Islands $50,080
Florida $51,130
South Carolina $52,310
Mississippi $59,510
Pennsylvania $61,480
State figures come from the 19-1031 row in the May 2025 state panel. States where the estimate was suppressed or too small to publish are absent.
What the score is made of
Each task is mapped to its work activities, scored for AI automation potential, and weighted by how important those activities are to the job. These are the components.
Automation potential 50%
Importance-weighted mean of the scored tasks. This is the headline index.
Physical work 4%
Share of weighted tasks in hands-on or machine-operating work activities.
Judgment & influence 62%
Share in analysis, decisions, teaching, directing, advising, or caring for others.
Routine administration 4%
Share in documenting, recording, and administrative activities.
Rewritten by O*NET 0%
Share of weighted tasks O*NET rewrote in a recent update. Reported, not folded into the score.
Consequence of error 9/100
Low
O*NET's own rating of how serious an uncorrectable mistake would be here — respondents, not us. Deliberately not in the index: the score measures what AI can do with the task content, and multiplying it by stakes would be our judgment dressed as data.
Constituent Task Mix
30 tasks for this occupation, weighted by work-activity importance. Shares below are of total task weight, not task count.
High exposure (≥ 60% of the task is automatable) 32%
10 tasks
Medium exposure (≥ 35%) 44%
13 tasks
Low exposure (below 35%) 24%
7 tasks
How would you survive?
Move your week away from the high-exposure tasks and toward the ones that need judgment. The simulator recalculates the index as you shift the mix.
Simulate Upskilling →Constituent Tasks
#22138 · Core · 50% automatable
Apply principles of specialized fields of science, such as agronomy, soil science, forestry, or agriculture, to achieve conservation objectives.
decision support — Synthesizes research; field application and validation human
Apply knowledge or research findings to address environmental problems.
#22153 · Core · 45% automatable
Plan soil management or conservation practices, such as crop rotation, reforestation, permanent vegetation, contour plowing, or terracing, to maintain soil or conserve water.
decision support — Conservation plans need field data and stakeholder judgment
Plan natural resources conservation or restoration programs.
#22135 · Core · 45% automatable
Monitor projects during or after construction to ensure projects conform to design specifications.
decision support — Conformance checking aided by AI, but on-site verification is human
Monitor operational procedures in technical environments to ensure conformance to standards.
#22134 · Core · 55% automatable
Advise land users, such as farmers or ranchers, on plans, problems, or alternative conservation solutions.
decision support — Land management advice needs site-specific judgment
Advise others about land management or conservation.
#22133 · Core · 45% automatable
Implement soil or water management techniques, such as nutrient management, erosion control, buffers, or filter strips, in accordance with conservation plans.
decision support — Resource plans need ecological and political judgment
Develop plans to manage natural or renewable resources.
#22140 · Core · 65% automatable
Compute design specifications for implementation of conservation practices, using survey or field information, technical guides or engineering manuals.
decision support — Design criteria drafted; human owns decisions
Determine design criteria or specifications.
#22139 · Core · 10% automatable
Gather information from geographic information systems (GIS) databases or applications to formulate land use recommendations.
situated mobility — Field data collection requires being in the field
Collect geographical or geological field data.
#22141 · Core · 45% automatable
Participate on work teams to plan, develop, or implement programs or policies for improving environmental habitats, wetlands, or groundwater or soil resources.
decision support — Conservation plans need field data and stakeholder judgment
Plan natural resources conservation or restoration programs.
#22145 · Core · 62% automatable
Compute cost estimates of different conservation practices, based on needs of land users, maintenance requirements, or life expectancy of practices.
data analysis — Green project cost estimation from inputs
Estimate green project costs.
#22137 · Core · 30% automatable
Develop or maintain working relationships with local government staff or board members.
interpersonal — Cross-department trust-building is relational human work
Develop collaborative relationships between departments or with external organizations.
#22143 · Core · 30% automatable
Revisit land users to view implemented land use practices or plans.
visual inspection — Inspecting natural environments needs field observation
Inspect condition of natural environments.
#22136 · Core · 30% automatable
Visit areas affected by erosion problems to identify causes or determine solutions.
visual inspection — Inspecting natural environments needs field observation
Inspect condition of natural environments.
#22146 · Core · 53% automatable
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.
information retrieval — Environmental advice is knowledge-based with review
Train personnel in technical or scientific procedures. Advise others about environmental management or conservation.
#22158 · Core · 82% automatable
Enter local soil, water, or other environmental data into adaptive or Web-based decision tools to identify appropriate analyses or techniques.
data analysis — Record research or operational data into schemas
Record research or operational data.
#22147 · Core · 62% automatable
Analyze results of investigations to determine measures needed to maintain or restore proper soil management.
information retrieval — Sustainable practice synthesis, human validates
Research sustainable agricultural processes or practices.
#22151 · Core · 52% automatable
Develop, conduct, or participate in surveys, studies, or investigations of various land uses to inform corrective action plans.
decision support — Environmental research planning aided; field judgment human
Plan environmental research.
#22148 · Core · 30% automatable
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.
interpersonal — Directing conservation programs is field leadership work
Direct natural resources management or conservation programs.
#22144 · Core · 55% automatable
Respond to complaints or questions on wetland jurisdiction, providing information or clarification.
interpersonal — Public environmental communication needs trust and accountability
Communicate with the public on environmental issues.
#22159 · Core · 75% automatable
Compile or interpret biodata to determine extent or type of wetlands or to aid in program formulation.
data analysis — Environmental data compilation, human validates sources
Compile environmental or climatological data. Analyze environmental data.
#22156 · Core · 60% automatable
Review or approve amendments to comprehensive local water plans or conservation district plans.
decision support — Evaluates conservation plans; judgment and field context needed
Review plans or proposals for environmental conservation.
#22150 · Core · 63% automatable
Review proposed wetland restoration easements or provide technical recommendations.
information retrieval — Environmental advice is knowledge-based with review
Review plans or proposals for environmental conservation. Advise others about environmental management or conservation.
#22162 · Core · 60% automatable
Develop soil maps.
visual inspection — Generates maps; cartographic accuracy and standards human
Create maps.
#22152 · Core · 30% automatable
Manage field offices or involve staff in cooperative ventures.
interpersonal — Directing conservation programs is field leadership work
Direct natural resources management or conservation programs.
#22154 · Core · 58% automatable
Initiate, schedule, or conduct annual audits or compliance checks of program implementation by local government.
decision support — Maps facts to statutes; legal accountability stays human
Assess compliance with environmental laws.
#22149 · Core · 55% automatable
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.
decision support — Land management advice needs site-specific judgment
Advise others about land management or conservation.
#22160 · Core · 68% automatable
Review annual reports of counties, conservation districts, or watershed management organizations, certifying compliance with mandated reporting requirements.
decision support — Reviews permit reports against standards; human signs off
Review environmental permits, plans, or reports.
#22161 · Core · 62% automatable
Review grant applications or make funding recommendations.
decision support — Reviews permit reports against standards; human signs off
Review environmental permits, plans, or reports. Advise others about land management or conservation.
#22157 · Core · 52% automatable
Develop or conduct environmental studies, such as plant material field trials or wildlife habitat impact studies.
decision support — Environmental research planning aided; field judgment human
Plan environmental research.
#22142 · Core · 30% automatable
Conduct fact-finding or mediation sessions among government units, landowners, or other agencies to resolve disputes.
interpersonal — Mediation requires live facilitation and trust
Mediate disputes.
#22155 · Supplemental · 45% automatable
Develop water conservation or harvest plans, using weather information systems, irrigation information management systems, or other sources of daily evapotranspiration (ET) data.
decision support — Conservation plans need field data and stakeholder judgment
Plan natural resources conservation or restoration programs.
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How this was scored
- 1. Tasks. O*NET task statements for this occupation, from a release whose newest record is dated 08/2026.
- 2. Work activities. Each task maps to 1–5 Detailed Work Activities; each activity belongs to one of 41 Generalized Work Activities that O*NET rates for importance (1–5) in this occupation.
- 3. Automation potential. Every work activity carries one score for how far current AI can perform it end-to-end. Tasks inherit the mean of their activities.
- 4. Weighting. Task weight = 0.35 + 0.65 × (importance − 1)/4, scaled by how often the task is performed and by 0.7 for Supplemental tasks. Importance is the task's own O*NET rating where it exists (18,369 of 18,838 tasks); the rest inherit their work activities' importance. The index is the weighted mean.
Check: across the 910 occupations where O*NET also rates how far machine speed sets the pace, this index moves opposite to it (Spearman ρ = -0.49). The more a job is paced by equipment, the less of its task content AI can address — the relationship you would expect if the scoring is working.
Sources · O*NET 31.0 (task records to 08/2026) · BLS OEWS May 2025 · BLS projections 2025-2035 · rubric v2.1 · tasks for O*NET, not a forecast
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