What Are the Different Types of Environmental Conservation Jobs?

Environmental conservation jobs are occupations that somehow contribute to the conservation or sustainability of the environment or the minimization of negative human effects on the natural world. Such jobs can take many different forms ranging from scientific laboratory work to business management to education. In general, environmental conservation jobs are either based in some area of expert knowledge such as biology, chemistry, or economics, or in environmentalism in general, which is normally focused on the ethical issues relating to the environment.

Scientific research and study is an essential part of almost all efforts toward environmental conservation. Scientists working in environmental conservation jobs are necessary to demonstrate that certain human actions have harmful effects on the environment and that altering or taking particular actions can lead to positive changes in the environment. Some scientists are also involved in the development of new technologies and materials that can be useful for conservation.

Other specialists such as economists and sociologists, though their areas of expertise have little to do with the environment, can also hold important environmental conservation jobs. Human behaviors and resource distribution are closely related to humanity's treatment of the natural world. Specialists who study these and other related bodies of knowledge can provide valuable insight into the causes and possible solutions for many of the world's environmental problems.

Environmentalists, who primarily focus on the ethical and moral issues surrounding man's interaction with the natural world, also hold important positions in the move toward better conservation practices. Their environmental conservation jobs may involve running a sustainability-based business, doing consulting work to advise companies on how to minimize their environmental impacts, and interpreting information collected by specialists in the context of conservation. They are often responsible for organizing and directing the complex movement toward a more sustainable and conservation-minded society.

Political environmental conservation jobs are also highly important as many major conservation issues cannot be resolved without widespread and large scale changes in environmental policy. Many environmentalists work as lobbyists to try to increase awareness of important environmental issues. In many cases, workers in other environmental conservation jobs use their backgrounds in various environmental issues to enter into politics with the aim of bringing about environmental policy changes. Alternatively, some politicians begin to focus on conservation issues later in their careers, only after becoming aware of the seriousness of some issues. Conservation politics is important at all political levels from local to international scales, and political environmental conservation jobs are among the most important in the effort to maintain the natural world.