Rare is a US-based nonprofitenvironmental organization whose stated mission is to help communities adopt sustainable behaviors toward their natural environment and resources. The organization uses marketing techniques and technical interventions to address threats like overfishing and deforestation. Rare's work is founded on the belief that most of the threats faced by the environment are the result of human behavior, and that changing human behavior requires appealing to people using both rational and emotional arguments and removing any barriers that might prevent change.
History
Rare was founded on January 1, 1973 by David Hill. The organization was originally headquartered at the offices of the National Audubon Society in New York before joining the World Wildlife Fund in the 1980s. In 1987, Rare returned to being an independent entity. Currently headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, in the United States, Rare also has offices in the Philippines, Indonesia, China, Brazil, Mozambique, Mexico and Micronesia. Rare has worked with communities and local partners in over 55 countries. Rare receives 3 out of 4 stars, from Charity Navigator.
Approach to Conservation
Rare's originated on the Eastern Caribbean island of St. Lucia in 1977, with the work of Paul Butler, now Rare's senior vice president. Butler was hired by St. Lucia's Forestry Department in an effort to save the declining, endemic St. Lucia Parrot. Hunting, habitat destruction and the bird trade had caused the species to decline from 1000 birds in the mid-1950s to less than 150 by 1977. Working with Gabriel Charles and a team of forest officers, he created an outreach campaign that aimed to build community pride in the parrot and its forest habitat. Butler and his forestry department colleagues leveraged marketing materials that mirrored those used by the private sector, including campaign songs, mascots, and poster art depicting the parrot alongside a targeted call to action: "Take Pride in St. Lucia! Report illegal hunting of wildlife and clearing of land!" In 1979, the government of St. Lucia declared the parrot its national bird, established a parrot sanctuary, and updated and enforced laws to protect the species and its habitat. The parrot population steadily recovered, and today population estimates for the species exceed 2,000. Butler's campaign and marketing tactics formed the foundation of Rare's social marketing strategy.
Current Projects
Fisheries
Rare works with coastal communities to restore small-scale fisheries in the Philippines, Belize, Brazil, Indonesia and Mozambique. Through the Fish Forever partnership between Rare, the Environmental Defense Fund, and the Sustainable Fisheries Group at the University of California Santa Barbara, the organization expands and implements sustainable fisheries management solutions worldwide. The Fish Forever program pilots and implements TURF+Reserves, a pairing of exclusive fishing access and marine reserves that allows fisheries restoration and marine conservation to work together. Marine reserves are designated alongside or within the exclusive fishing areas, or TURFs, with the aim of giving fish populations the chance to thrive and spill over into the fishing areas.
Watersheds
Rare works with local communities throughout Latin America to implement reciprocal water agreements for upstream habitat protection. The agreements incentivize upstream landowners to conserve watershed habitat, with downstream water users financing such incentives.
Sourcing Solutions
Solution Search is a crowdsourcing online contest platform designed to source, reward and disseminate proven solutions in conservation and development. Past competition themes have sought out fisheries restoration solutions and climate adaptation approaches worldwide. The 2015 Solution Search contest recognized solutions in U.S. weather-related disaster risk management. The contest has identified more than 240 solutions from 65 countries across the various topics.
Sustainable Agriculture
Rare works with farmers in China to adopt sustainable agriculture practices—in particular the shift from conventional cotton to organic cotton. The program seeks to reduce pesticides and other contaminants entering the waters and threatened wetland habitats of China.
