Naturalist Job Description, Skills, and Salary
Are you searching for a naturalist job description? Get to know about the duties, responsibilities, qualifications, and skills requirements of a naturalist. Feel free to use our job description template to produce your own. We also provide you with information about the salary you can earn as a naturalist.
Who is a Naturalist?
A Naturalist is any individual who studies and examines the natural world. Naturalists keep track of how creatures and their surroundings interact, as well as how those interactions evolve through time.
A naturalist tries to raise the public’s awareness of the wonders in their natural surroundings by educating them about fauna and flora. They usually educate the public through various methods, including tours of parks and forests, exhibits at museums and nature centers, photos, movies, and talks. Some naturalists work as independent contractors, selling their skills to libraries and schools looking for environmental educators.
Naturalists frequently use a variety of approaches in the presentations to make the educational sessions interesting to kids and adults. They typically provide amazing historical and scientific knowledge as they guide people around routes in parks and recreational areas. If they are indoors, they usually have exhibits of flora that their audience may closely inspect, as well as images and films of animals, fish, and reptiles in their native environments. A naturalist would frequently impart his expertise on outdoor living techniques and identify edible and non-edible plants and trees when camping.
Naturalists frequently publish pieces on ecological subjects for websites, newspapers, and magazines when they are not engaged in raising public awareness through these educational channels. They routinely participate in neighborhood programs run by parks and recreation agencies that aim to raise environmental and natural awareness among the general population. They will typically be requested to help local conservation organizations with fundraising if they work in the commercial sector.
A naturalist typically performs surveys of parks and forests to evaluate the status of flora and wildlife in addition to public relations and education. They often present their results to experts who keep tabs on various plant and animal species for ailments, population shifts, and other elements that could greatly impact their ability to survive. A naturalist typically uses photographs to highlight certain circumstances and issues.
Naturalist Job Description
What is a naturalist job description? A naturalist job description is simply a list of duties and responsibilities of a naturalist in an organization. Below are the naturalist job description examples you can use to develop your resume or write a naturalist job description for your employee. Employers can also use it to sieve out job seekers when choosing candidates for interviews.
The duties and responsibilities of the naturalist include the following:
- Analyze any field notes or data that other naturalists have gathered.
- Educate the public about wildlife and conservation concerns, such as plant identification and invasive species, and provide feedback.
- Count or gauge plant and animal populations.
- Create resources on natural environmental concerns, such as forests, oceans, and plant life, to assist people to realize the value of protecting the environment.
- Observe plants and animals in their native habitats, evaluate how the environment and industry affect living things and document your observations in field notes and photos.
- Plan and carry out research experiments in a natural setting.
- Write reports, research papers, or journal articles, and provide presentations for clubs, interest groups, and park interpretation programs to gather data and share discoveries.
- Prepare microscopic slides or collections of preserved specimens for scientific research.
- Suggest ways to conserve or protect natural resources, plant life, and animal life based on the study’s results.
- Offer customer service and environmental knowledge to everyone interested in learning more.
- Pique listeners’ interest in the need to protect nature and all of its components.
- Prepare environmental protection presentations to show to clients on behalf of the business.
Qualifications
- A bachelor’s degree in natural sciences, environmental science, biology, or a related field
- Experience through an internship
- A master’s degree in a relevant field (preferably by some firms)
Essential Skills
Here are the skills you require to excel in your career as a Naturalist:
- Animal Tracking
- Communication
- Environmental Education
- Environmental Restoration
- GIS Maps
- CPR/First Aid
- Field Research
- Interpretation
- Plants Identification
- Problem-solving
- Outdoor Survival
- Patience
- Observatory
- Leadership
- Organizational
Animal Tracking
The ability to follow an animal’s tracks and other traces that it leaves behind is known as animal tracking. This ability is used by naturalists to track down certain species or to observe their activity. Additionally, it might be useful in locating food supplies, such as locations where animals may store seeds or berries for the winter.
Communication
The capacity to present knowledge in a way that others can understand is known as communication. Naturalists use this skill when interacting with customers at work or participating in outdoor activities like guiding tours or delivering talks. Writing blog articles, producing educational materials, and keeping a journal all fall under the written communication category.
Environmental Education
Naturalists educate people about their surroundings through a method known as environmental education. This involves educating people on how to live in harmony with the environment as well as how to conserve and preserve it. When presenting talks at conferences or guiding tours, naturalists employ environmental education techniques.
Environment Restoration
Repairing damaged ecosystems is the process of habitat restoration. By identifying and repairing ecosystems, naturalists can sustain biodiversity and protect natural resources. This can entail eradicating invasive species or rebuilding a habitat after a fire or other disaster has damaged it.
GIS Maps
Geographic information system (GIS) mapping is frequently used by naturalists to catalog and keep track of the whereabouts of plants and animals in their local region. This can assist them in identifying both species that may be prospering and those that are endangered or threatened. Additionally, it enables naturalists to design maps that park visitors might use to quickly locate particular places.
CPR/First Aid
Naturalists should be proficient in first aid and CPR since they might need to treat injuries or carry out life-saving measures. For instance, the first person to arrive at the scene of an animal-related injury may be a naturalist working in a park. Additionally, they could organize outdoor activities like swimming, hiking, and other physically demanding pursuits where mishaps could occur.
Field Research
Naturalists frequently need to carry out field research, which entails watching and capturing the surroundings. Taking notes on plants, animals, and other natural phenomena is one way to do this, as is gathering samples for additional research. You can have a greater grasp of the natural environment and its inhabitants by being able to perform field study. Your field research abilities may also be useful in a job as a naturalist.
Interpretation
Naturalists interpret their findings so they may share them with others. When describing plants, animals, or other natural aspects, they use scientific jargon. This ability aids them in conveying their results in a manner that non-experts in the field may easily comprehend. For others to reproduce their studies if they so want, naturalists also describe how they arrived at their results.
Plants Identification
The ability to identify and name plants is known as plant identification. When recognizing plants in their habitat, naturalists frequently employ this ability since it may help them comprehend how these plants interact with one another and their surroundings. Additionally, this information aids in the identification of possible animal habitats and can be required for carrying out scientific studies.
Problem-solving
Having the capacity to recognize and address problems is problem-solving. When dealing with animals in the outdoors, naturalists frequently utilize problem-solving techniques since they may run into difficulties like animal health issues or environmental changes that alter animal behavior. Naturalists can safeguard the security and wellness of animals by being able to analyze problems and provide solutions.
Outdoor Survival
The ability to survive in the wilderness is essential for naturalists who operate in far-flung areas. These abilities may include knowing how to make a fire, locate sources of food and water, traverse a terrain, and recognize therapeutic plants. Naturalists may also need wilderness survival skills When out on their own to explore the wilderness. For instance, kids might need to know how to care for themselves until assistance arrives if they become lost or hurt.
Patience
Because they frequently deal with nature, naturalists can’t always control the surroundings or their situations. For instance, a naturalist could direct outdoor activities where the weather has an impact on their schedule. They may have to wait for animals to show up before they can observe them. Naturalists must exercise patience to avoid disturbing the ecosystems they are studying and to be present when something fascinating occurs.
Observatory
The ability to observe specifics in your environment is known as observation. Naturalists use this skill to recognize plants and animals, learn about their habitats, or track them in the field. When viewing animals, naturalists may make notes on the time of day, the number of individuals present, and other characteristics that might help them accurately identify a species.
Leadership
Since naturalists frequently collaborate in groups, good leadership abilities are essential. You may utilize your leadership skills to make people feel at ease and secure when outside. This is especially helpful if you’re organizing outdoor activities for kids or other novices. You can guarantee that everyone has a good time by being able to safely guide a group of people through an activity.
Organizational
An organizational skill in this context is the ability to search for and locate data. When documenting data, organizing activities or projects, or keeping track of their observations, naturalists frequently employ their organizational abilities. A naturalist can work more effectively and keep on track if they have great organizing abilities. They must also be able to swiftly access whatever information they require.
How to Become a Naturalist
Below are the steps to becoming a Naturalist:
Step One: Graduate from High School
If you are still in high school and interested in becoming a Naturalist, take several basic science classes, such as those in biology, chemistry, and Earth science, if you are interested in this profession. Clubs and classes in botany are beneficial because they provide students with hands-on experience observing plant development and health. Experience with animal care, typically acquired via volunteer work, is also beneficial. If you want to write better when you do research and write grant submissions, take English classes in high school.
Step Two: Have your Tertiary Education
The minimal educational need to become a naturalist is often an undergraduate degree in environmental, physical, or natural sciences. Biology, forestry, wildlife management, natural resources and parks management, natural resources, botany, zoology, chemistry, natural history, and environmental science are popular college majors. Additionally useful are courses in communication arts, economics, history, anthropology, English, and international studies.
Step Three: Finish an Internship
An internship can help you build your professional network and obtain useful experience in the sector as you complete your bachelor’s degree program. You may look online for internships in the scientific sciences, but you can also contact one of your professors for assistance.
Step Four: Obtain a Master’s Degree
A graduate degree is becoming more and more necessary, especially for upper-level naturalist roles. For managerial or administrative positions in many nonprofit organizations, a master’s degree in natural science or natural resources is the minimal qualification, and other positions call for a Ph.D. or several years of relevant experience. Work experience is required for roles in organizations with foreign locations and can be earned through volunteer positions, such as those with the Peace Corps, or through paid positions helping with site administration and management.
Where to Work as a Naturalist
Naturalists can work in private nature centers, regional, state, and federal parks and forests, wildlife museums, and independent nonprofit conservation and restoration organizations.
Field naturalists’ work is spent mostly outside. The naturalist must operate in different weather conditions depending on the locale, including bitter cold, scorching heat, and heavy rain. For field research and management, remote settings are typical, and extended periods of working alone or in small groups are not unusual.
A naturalist working in the field may need to perform strenuous lifting, hauling, using machines and hand tools, excavating, planting, harvesting, and tracking.
Naturalist Salary Scale
In the United States, the salary scale for a naturalist position is $28,638 to $34,501. A naturalist makes an average compensation of $30,961 per year.
In the United Kingdom, a naturalist makes an average yearly pay of £22,362.
In Canada, a naturalist makes CA$35,100 a year, or CA$18 an hour. Most experienced professionals earn up to CA$68,065 yearly, while entry-level occupations start at CA$28,884 annually.
In Australia, a naturalist makes an average yearly pay of AU$64545.
In Germany, a naturalist can expect to make between €23,641 and €38,159 per year.
In Ireland, a naturalist makes an average salary of €31,072 per year and €15 per hour.
Salary ranges might differ significantly depending on various crucial aspects, including education, certifications, skills, and expertise in the field.