GEF

Unit 5  |  The Importance of Biodiversity 110 CAREER FOCUS: WILDLIFE BIOLOGIST Education: Wildlife biologists need a bachelor’s degree for entry-level positions; a master’s degree is often needed for higher level investigative or scientific work. A Ph.D. is necessary to lead independent research and for most university research positions. Median Salary (2015): $59,680. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), wildlife biologists study animals and other wildlife and how they interact with their ecosystems. They study the physical characteristics of animals, animal behaviors, and the impacts humans have on wildlife and natural habitats. Typical job duties include: ■■ Developing and conducting experimental studies with animals in controlled or natural surroundings. ■■ Collecting biological data and specimens for analysis. ■■ Studying the characteristics of animals, such as their interactions with other species, reproduction, population dynamics, diseases, and movement patterns. ■■ Analyzing the influence that human activity has on wildlife and their natural habitats. ■■ Researching, initiating, and maintaining ways of improving breeding programs that support healthy game animals, endangered species, or other wild populations of land or aquatic life. ■■ Estimating, monitoring, and managing wildlife populations and invasive plants and animals. ■■ Writing research papers, reports, and scholarly articles that explain their findings. ■■ Giving presentations on research findings to academics and the general public. ■■ Developing conservation plans and making recommendations on wildlife conservation and management issues to policymakers and the general public. For more information on this and other careers in Sustainability, go to bls.gov/oco/.