Animals, land, water and environment

There's a huge range of jobs working with nature, land, water and forestry. These roles are vital in helping us produce sustainable food, manage our land and water resources and take care of animals and plants, while tackling greenhouse gas emissions.

What impact could you make?

Help to take care of land, water and the natural environment, to **make our planet greener**.

Use your skills to drive **sustainable food production** and support food security for Scotland and beyond.

**Look after and manage animals** in farming, scientific or animal welfare roles.

The variety of it all is what makes this job so interesting. No two days are the same and I think that's the biggest pro about working on a fish farm.John MacPhersonFish farm manager, Mowi Scotland

Animals, land, water and environment at a glance

There’s a huge range of rewarding jobs in this industry, using many diverse skills. You could be working on land, in a laboratory or office, in rivers and lochs or at sea. You’ll play a major role in tackling climate change and supporting sustainable food production.

Employment

There are approximately 200,000 people working across Scotland's land and nature sector.

Future demand

Between 2025 and 2028, it's expected there will be 7,300 people needed to fill job openings in Scotland.

Job diversity

There are lots of unique opportunities beyond just farms, fisheries and forests! You could carry out experiments on plants in a laboratory, look after animals, check food hygiene and quality in a warehouse or get hands-on with machinery in a workshop.

Source: Food and Drink Primary Production Sectoral Skills Assessment 2025 and NatureScot

Play a part on land and water

We’ve pulled out some job profiles in the animals, land, water and environment industry for you to explore.

Things you may not know about animals, land, water and environment

Technology plays a big part in agriculture and farming. Now, most vehicles have Global Positioning System (GPS) software to support precision farming and increase productivity as they aim to find a sustainable approach.

Source: ScienceDirect

Forestry contributes £1.1 billion per year to the Scottish economy and supports more than 34,000 jobs!

Source: Scottish Forestry

Environmental jobs can be your passport to an international career. There are opportunities to take your skills all over the world.

Source: British Council Green Careers

Scotland's leaders in animals, land, water and environment

Discover some organisations within animals, land, water and environment and how they’re making an impact on the industry.

Lantra

Lantra develops training and qualifications in a wide range of areas. These range from forestry to agriculture, fishing, horticulture, landscapes and many more.

Visit Lantra