Rare trains conservation leaders to drive change by influencing how people interact with the environment.

Rare

Kate Mannle

Director of Training Programs

MISSION

To inspire change so people and nature thrive

INDUSTRY

Environmental conservation

HEADQUARTERS

Arlington, VA

FOUNDED

1973

LEARNING AUDIENCE

Conservation and sustainability leaders and practitioners

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Changing minds, protecting the planet

Conservation training trailblazers

Social learning for behavioral change

Changing minds, protecting the planet

ecyclables and compostable food waste piled together in a university cafeteria. Disposable diapers floating in a river. Plastic water bottles, used only once. These aren’t just environmental snapshots. They all trace back to a common source: human behavior.

Almost all environmental challenges that we face have one thing in common,” says Kate Mannle. “People are both the problem and the solution.”

At Rare, changing that behavior is the driving force behind protecting nature and fighting climate change.

As the Director of Training Programs at Rare’s Center for Behavior & the Environment, Mannle equips conservation practitioners with the skills to shift minds and actions, not just ecosystems.

“I grew up in a fishing community in Massachusetts, and seeing how people interact with nature has always been a huge part of my life. ” she says. “Rare’s focus on people-powered conservation is what initially drew me in 17 years ago, and it’s what still motivates me today.”

“Almost all environmental challenges that we face have one thing in common,” says Kate Mannle. “People are both the problem and the solution.”

A herd of beige and brown cattle walking towards the camera

Conservation training trailblazers

If conservation had a user manual, says Mannle, it would be co-written by biologists and behavioral scientists.

“The conservation sector tends to be quite siloed between the natural sciences and the social sciences,” she explains. “But both are crucial to be able to enact real change.”

Rare’s Center for Behavior & the Environment is the first institution in the world dedicated exclusively to behavioral science and design for conservation. It supports Rare’s programs and external partners working to address climate change, overfishing, sustainable land use, food and plastic waste, biodiversity loss, and more.

Rare has trained over 5,000 practitioners in more than 60 countries.

To date, Rare has trained over 5,000 practitioners in more than 60 countries. To reach that scale, says Mannle, learning is essential. Today, the organization offers a range of self-paced and blended learning programs rooted in behavior-centered design.

“We always felt that our in-person training had this indescribable quality—what we would call the ‘Rare magic,’” says Mannle. “We try to capture that in all our digital training, as well.”

But creating that magic online is no easy task. Many learners are in remote areas, face bandwidth limits, or speak different languages. Some are uncomfortable appearing on camera. Regardless of the content, flexibility of training is key.

“E-learning is a powerful equalizer,” says Mannle. “People can learn in their own time, even offline. When they show up to live sessions, they’re fully prepared and ready to participate.”