How to become an Environmental Restoration Planner

An environmental restoration planner performs laboratory and field studies to monitor the environment and assess ecosystem conditions in order to identify the level of pollution, climate change, natural processes, and human activity-related consequences. Environmental restoration planners assess the need for environmental repair and conservation initiatives based on their research findings in these areas. They build restoration strategies using data from ecosystems and geographic imaging systems.

Planners use the study results to determine the need for environmental remediation and conservation efforts by incorporating ecosystems and geographical imaging system data, biological databases, environmental strategies, and planning software to create restoration plans.

• Develop and suggest recommendations for landowners for land management, conversation, maintenance, and restoration of environmental conditions.
• Communicate findings of environmental studies to other professionals
• Conduct site inspections to approve a habitat or to determine environmental degradation or need for restoration.
• Establish plans and budgets for the environmental restoration projects
• Establish habitat management or restoration plans
• Manage and deliver technical guidance, training, or assistance on environmental planning, restoration planning or strategies to energy engineers, biologists, geologists, or other professionals
• Apply for permits required for the implementation of environmental remediation projects
• Create diagrams to communicate environmental remediation planning, using geographic information systems, computer-aided design, or other mapping or diagramming software.
• Recognize short- and long-term effects of environmental remediation activities
• Study environmental impact to inspect the ecological effects of pollutants, disease, human activities, nature, and climate change
• Conduct feasibility and cost-benefit studies
• Assess existing designs in environmental remediation
• Inspect active remediation sites and make natural resource management plans based on state and federal environmental regulatory requirements
• Recognize environmental mitigation alternatives, safeguarding compliance with applicable standards, laws, or regulations
• Create environmental models or simulations, using geographic information system data and knowledge of particular ecosystems or ecological regions
• Notify regulatory or permitting agencies of deviations from implemented remediation plans
• Create and supervise restoration plans in construction, modification, operation, acquisition, or divestiture on sites with power transmission lines, natural gas pipelines, fuel refineries, geothermal plants, wind or solar farms
• Develop mathematical models of environmental conditions
• Identify sustainable business practices.

• One must be able to comprehend highly technical information such as raw data and scientific literature and have a firm grasp of mathematical principles.
• Research abilities are precious since environmental restoration planners are often tasked with poring through written legislation and other materials to make client suggestions.
• They must also possess the ability to communicate both orally and in written documents effectively. In addition, they must be prompt at analytical and critical thinking, problem-solving, social sensitivity, judgement and decision making skills, interpersonal skills, time and team management.