diff --git a/spring-webflow/src/main/java/org/springframework/webflow/engine/builder/model/FlowModelFlowBuilder.java b/spring-webflow/src/main/java/org/springframework/webflow/engine/builder/model/FlowModelFlowBuilder.java
index 4b193526..b22c2c08 100644
--- a/spring-webflow/src/main/java/org/springframework/webflow/engine/builder/model/FlowModelFlowBuilder.java
+++ b/spring-webflow/src/main/java/org/springframework/webflow/engine/builder/model/FlowModelFlowBuilder.java
@@ -329,7 +329,7 @@ public class FlowModelFlowBuilder extends AbstractFlowBuilder {
 		Class clazz = (Class) fromStringTo(Class.class).execute(var.getClassName());
 		VariableValueFactory valueFactory = new BeanFactoryVariableValueFactory(clazz, getFlow()
 				.getApplicationContext().getAutowireCapableBeanFactory());
-		ScopeType scope = parseScopeType(var.getScope(), ScopeType.FLOW);
+		ScopeType scope = ScopeType.CONVERSATION;
 		return new FlowVariable(var.getName(), valueFactory, scope == ScopeType.FLOW ? true : false);
 	}
 
diff --git a/spring-webflow/src/main/java/org/springframework/webflow/engine/model/VarModel.java b/spring-webflow/src/main/java/org/springframework/webflow/engine/model/VarModel.java
index c46a20c8..0bcf80a7 100644
--- a/spring-webflow/src/main/java/org/springframework/webflow/engine/model/VarModel.java
+++ b/spring-webflow/src/main/java/org/springframework/webflow/engine/model/VarModel.java
@@ -28,7 +28,6 @@ import org.springframework.util.StringUtils;
 public class VarModel extends AbstractModel {
 	private String name;
 	private String className;
-	private String scope;
 
 	/**
 	 * Create a variable model
@@ -84,21 +83,4 @@ public class VarModel extends AbstractModel {
 		}
 	}
 
-	/**
-	 * @return the scope
-	 */
-	public String getScope() {
-		return scope;
-	}
-
-	/**
-	 * @param scope the scope to set
-	 */
-	public void setScope(String scope) {
-		if (StringUtils.hasText(scope)) {
-			this.scope = scope;
-		} else {
-			this.scope = null;
-		}
-	}
 }
diff --git a/spring-webflow/src/main/java/org/springframework/webflow/engine/model/builder/xml/XmlFlowModelBuilder.java b/spring-webflow/src/main/java/org/springframework/webflow/engine/model/builder/xml/XmlFlowModelBuilder.java
index 2aa4c0de..731a9daf 100644
--- a/spring-webflow/src/main/java/org/springframework/webflow/engine/model/builder/xml/XmlFlowModelBuilder.java
+++ b/spring-webflow/src/main/java/org/springframework/webflow/engine/model/builder/xml/XmlFlowModelBuilder.java
@@ -437,9 +437,7 @@ public class XmlFlowModelBuilder implements FlowModelBuilder {
 	}
 
 	private VarModel parseVar(Element element) {
-		VarModel var = new VarModel(element.getAttribute("name"), element.getAttribute("class"));
-		var.setScope(element.getAttribute("scope"));
-		return var;
+		return new VarModel(element.getAttribute("name"), element.getAttribute("class"));
 	}
 
 	private InputModel parseInput(Element element) {
diff --git a/spring-webflow/src/main/java/org/springframework/webflow/engine/model/builder/xml/spring-webflow-2.0.xsd b/spring-webflow/src/main/java/org/springframework/webflow/engine/model/builder/xml/spring-webflow-2.0.xsd
index 2f95e384..f66ec651 100644
--- a/spring-webflow/src/main/java/org/springframework/webflow/engine/model/builder/xml/spring-webflow-2.0.xsd
+++ b/spring-webflow/src/main/java/org/springframework/webflow/engine/model/builder/xml/spring-webflow-2.0.xsd
@@ -135,41 +135,6 @@ fully-qualified class name (e.g. 'java.lang.Integer').  The class must be a conc
 								</xsd:documentation>
 							</xsd:annotation>
 						</xsd:attribute>
-						<xsd:attribute name="scope">
-							<xsd:annotation>
-								<xsd:documentation>
-									<![CDATA[
-This scope of this variable.  The available scope types are:
-<ol>
-<li>flow - The variable goes out of scope when this flow session ends.
-<li>conversation - The variable goes out of scope when the overall conversation governing this flow ends.
-</ol>
-]]>
-								</xsd:documentation>
-							</xsd:annotation>
-							<xsd:simpleType>
-								<xsd:restriction base="xsd:string">
-									<xsd:enumeration value="flow">
-										<xsd:annotation>
-											<xsd:documentation>
-												<![CDATA[
-Goes out of scope when this flow ends.
-						]]>
-											</xsd:documentation>
-										</xsd:annotation>
-									</xsd:enumeration>
-									<xsd:enumeration value="conversation">
-										<xsd:annotation>
-											<xsd:documentation>
-												<![CDATA[
-Goes out of scope when the governing conversation ends.
-						]]>
-											</xsd:documentation>
-										</xsd:annotation>
-									</xsd:enumeration>
-								</xsd:restriction>
-							</xsd:simpleType>
-						</xsd:attribute>
 					</xsd:complexType>
 				</xsd:element>
 				<xsd:element name="input" type="input" minOccurs="0" maxOccurs="unbounded">
diff --git a/spring-webflow/src/test/java/org/springframework/webflow/engine/builder/model/FlowModelFlowBuilderTests.java b/spring-webflow/src/test/java/org/springframework/webflow/engine/builder/model/FlowModelFlowBuilderTests.java
index f2f0060b..32822523 100644
--- a/spring-webflow/src/test/java/org/springframework/webflow/engine/builder/model/FlowModelFlowBuilderTests.java
+++ b/spring-webflow/src/test/java/org/springframework/webflow/engine/builder/model/FlowModelFlowBuilderTests.java
@@ -263,12 +263,11 @@ public class FlowModelFlowBuilderTests extends TestCase {
 	public void testFlowVariable() {
 		model.addVar(new VarModel("flow-foo", "org.springframework.webflow.TestBean"));
 		VarModel var = new VarModel("conversation-foo", "org.springframework.webflow.TestBean");
-		var.setScope("conversation");
 		model.addVar(var);
 		model.addEndState(new EndStateModel("end"));
 		Flow flow = getFlow(model);
 		assertEquals("flow-foo", flow.getVariable("flow-foo").getName());
-		assertEquals(true, flow.getVariable("flow-foo").isLocal());
+		assertEquals(false, flow.getVariable("flow-foo").isLocal());
 		assertEquals("conversation-foo", flow.getVariables()[1].getName());
 		assertEquals(false, flow.getVariables()[1].isLocal());
 	}
diff --git a/spring-webflow/src/test/java/org/springframework/webflow/engine/model/FlowModelTests.java b/spring-webflow/src/test/java/org/springframework/webflow/engine/model/FlowModelTests.java
index 9575fcf0..9c602607 100644
--- a/spring-webflow/src/test/java/org/springframework/webflow/engine/model/FlowModelTests.java
+++ b/spring-webflow/src/test/java/org/springframework/webflow/engine/model/FlowModelTests.java
@@ -78,12 +78,9 @@ public class FlowModelTests extends TestCase {
 		child.addVar(var);
 		parent.addVar(var);
 		var = new VarModel("name", "value");
-		var.setScope("scope");
 		parent.addVar(var);
 		child.merge(parent);
 		assertEquals(3, child.getVars().size());
-		assertEquals("scope", ((VarModel) child.getVars().get(1)).getScope());
-		assertEquals("scope", ((VarModel) parent.getVars().get(1)).getScope());
 	}
 
 	public void testMergeMappings() {
diff --git a/spring-webflow/src/test/java/org/springframework/webflow/engine/model/builder/xml/XmlFlowModelBuilderTests.java b/spring-webflow/src/test/java/org/springframework/webflow/engine/model/builder/xml/XmlFlowModelBuilderTests.java
index 36f51a9f..92be7637 100644
--- a/spring-webflow/src/test/java/org/springframework/webflow/engine/model/builder/xml/XmlFlowModelBuilderTests.java
+++ b/spring-webflow/src/test/java/org/springframework/webflow/engine/model/builder/xml/XmlFlowModelBuilderTests.java
@@ -115,9 +115,7 @@ public class XmlFlowModelBuilderTests extends TestCase {
 		builder.build();
 		FlowModel flow = builder.getFlowModel();
 		assertEquals("flow-foo", ((VarModel) flow.getVars().get(0)).getName());
-		assertEquals(null, ((VarModel) flow.getVars().get(0)).getScope());
 		assertEquals("conversation-foo", ((VarModel) flow.getVars().get(1)).getName());
-		assertEquals("conversation", ((VarModel) flow.getVars().get(1)).getScope());
 	}
 
 	public void testViewStateVariable() {
diff --git a/spring-webflow/src/test/java/org/springframework/webflow/engine/model/builder/xml/flow-var.xml b/spring-webflow/src/test/java/org/springframework/webflow/engine/model/builder/xml/flow-var.xml
index ec2ae8ec..ce830e1e 100644
--- a/spring-webflow/src/test/java/org/springframework/webflow/engine/model/builder/xml/flow-var.xml
+++ b/spring-webflow/src/test/java/org/springframework/webflow/engine/model/builder/xml/flow-var.xml
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
       xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.springframework.org/schema/webflow http://www.springframework.org/schema/webflow/spring-webflow-2.0.xsd">
 
 	<var name="flow-foo" class="org.springframework.webflow.TestBean"/>
-	<var name="conversation-foo" class="org.springframework.webflow.TestBean" scope="conversation"/>
+	<var name="conversation-foo" class="org.springframework.webflow.TestBean"/>
 	
 	<end-state id="end"/>