Will AI replace environmental restoration planners?

Not on current evidence. Less than 30 minutes of a typical shift goes to tasks that AI or robots are doing today. The other 8h (100%) stays with people. Separately, BLS expects about 6.1% more of these jobs by 2035 (all jobs: +3.5%).

None of this job's tasks show regular AI use yet. That can mean the work is hands-on or in person, or simply that it rarely comes up in AI usage data.

Not in workplaces like this one, based on a 2026 review of robot deployments. For 2 physical tasks, no robot has shown it can do the work yet.

8h of a typical shift, or 100%, goes to tasks with no AI or robot evidence yet. No AI usage or robot deployment has shown up for these so far. The biggest:

• Collect and analyze data to determine environmental conditions and restoration needs. (41m a shift)
• Create habitat management or restoration plans, such as native tree restoration and weed control. (35m a shift)
• Conduct site assessments to certify a habitat or to ascertain environmental damage or restoration needs. (35m a shift)
• Plan environmental restoration projects, using biological databases, environmental strategies, and planning software. (35m a shift)
• Develop environmental restoration project schedules and budgets. (29m a shift)

Much of it comes down to where and how the work happens. In-person, hands-on and high-stakes work is where AI and robots have made the least headway so far. In the official O*NET survey of people in this job:

• 68% talk face to face with others every day
• 50% say dealing with the public is very or extremely important

On Indeed, job postings in the Scientific Research & Development sector are at 84% of their February 2020 level (all U.S. postings: 104%), up 19.9% from a year earlier, as of Oct 9, 2026. BLS separately expects about 7,300 openings a year in this job through 2035. Across all U.S. postings, 7.3% now mention AI skills. Sector postings cover more than this one job and move for many reasons besides AI.

The median pay is about $82,220 a year ($39.53 an hour), 61% above the median for all U.S. jobs ($50,980). Most people in this job earn between $52,520 and $140,010 a year; that range covers the middle 80%. Pay figures are from BLS, May 2025, and vary a lot by state and employer. Pick a state to compare:

BLS projects growth of 6.1% from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3.5% growth for all jobs. That's about 99,000 jobs in 2035. It expects about 7,300 openings a year, mostly from people retiring or changing careers. These projections don't single out AI as a cause.

About 89,000 people in the U.S., roughly 0.06% of all workers (BLS, May 2025). That makes it the 294th largest of the 796 jobs on this site. BLS expects about 99,000 in 2035.

The most common requirement is a bachelor's degree: about 50% of people in the job said so in the official O*NET survey. O*NET rates the job at level 5 of 5 for preparation, which usually means: graduate degree. Requirements vary by state and employer, especially for licensed work.

These come from the job's official skill ratings and from the tasks that AI and robots touch least today. Building them keeps you strong in the parts of the work that still need a person:

• Skills that matter more here than in most jobs: Science, Systems Analysis, Systems Evaluation, Judgment and Decision Making
• Get strong at the parts of the job that stay with people (listed above), which take 8h of a typical shift
• Tools employers list: Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Excel, Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Creative Cloud software

These use similar skills. Matches come from 109 official ratings of skills, knowledge and work activities, and each needs the same or less preparation unless the official list relates the jobs directly:

• Brownfield Redevelopment Specialists and Site Managers (29m touched, $142k median pay)
• Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists (18m touched, $77k median pay)
• Conservation Scientists (18m touched, $73k median pay)
• Water Resource Specialists (32m touched, $167k median pay)
• Soil and Plant Scientists (1h 21m touched, $79k median pay)

Each task carries its own evidence label. For this job: 23 with no AI or robot evidence found. The minutes per task are estimates, not measured hours, and "no evidence" doesn't prove a task is safe.