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Many experts today say we're in the midst of the 6th mass extinction, a relatively short period of time when a high percentage of biodiversity dies out. To be clear, we're talking about hundreds of thousands of species and an extinction event bigger than anything our planet has seen for over 65 million years when dinosaurs walked the earth. A recent study in the journal, Science, looked at 30 years of research across hundreds of species and showed the close link between climate change and biodiversity loss. It projects that if we can achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement, 1 in 50 species will go extinct by the end of the century. Meanwhile, if current emission trends continue, mass extinction could claim as many as 1 in 3 species on Earth. Sorry to start with such sobering data, but the threat to biodiversity is not talked about enough and the stakes need to be known.There is, of course, hope and it lies with people like Brett Jenks. Brett is the CEO of a global conservation and climate change nonprofit called Rare. They've been around for 50 years, work in 60 different countries, and yet, are often behind the scenes. Rare has helped save species and ecosystems, and through that work have learned that their approach can contribute to systemic change. For them, it all begins with understanding people and how to change our behavior. I spoke with Brett about his background, Rare's approach and impact, their conservation efforts, and how they're working upstream to change finance, policy, and culture. Despite the stakes and the difficult challenge we face, I found this conversation to be quite inspiring and I certainly learned a ton from Brett. Enjoy. Resources MentionedRareConnect with Brett JenksConnect with Brett on LinkedInConnect with Jason RissmanOn LinkedInOn TwitterKeep up with Invested In ClimateSign up for our NewsletterLinkedInInstagramHave feedback or ideas for future episodes, events, or partnerships?Get in touch!
Today I'm joined in conversation by Brett Jenks, CEO of Rare, a solution orientated global conservation organisation with a distinctly human approach. Unlike our historical models of creating national parks that exclude humans to preserve nature, Rare refuses to view people as the problem, instead embracing them as partners in conservation that enables both people & nature to thrive. Brett highlights several of Rare's established projects partnering with local communities around the world, giving them the support to become successful stewards of their own natural world. The Fish Forever project a community led approach to restore, protect & manage coastal seas across 8 countries & Lands For Life which teaches Regenerative Agriculture to farmers in Columbia.In this mindset shifting conversation Brett shares how Rare successfully utilises human behavioural insights into their groundbreaking ideas, including creating a video game that literally plants trees, the Climate Action Now App that empowers consumers & an innovative Impact Investment Fund to provide alternative financial backing for conservation.Brett left me truly inspired, imagining what is possible as we break free of traditional conservation models & embrace the unlimited potential available when humans remember their role as stewards & set our intention to work with the amazing wisdom Mother Nature has. Learn more about BrettBrett is the CEO of Rare, a nonprofit that has led environmental conservation projects for 50 years & impacted the lives of millions, helping people & nature thrive together through community-led efforts across 60 countries. Brett was a journalist and film producer before he traveled to Costa Rica in 1992 for a government-partnered English teaching program. There, he designed an award-winning local ecotourism program for Rare and rose through the ranks to become CEO in 2000. Under Brett's leadership, Rare has grown 3,000% and expanded its budgets to $30M. He notably scaled Rare's Fish Forever program of revitalizing coastal fisheries to reach 2,000 communities across 8 countries, and launched partnerships with government agencies, NGOs, and companies like Bloomberg Philanthropies, Meta, Netflix, UNDP, and Nat Geo.He has dedicated 20+ years to changing the behavioral approach to conservation. His views have featured across major publications like The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. In 2017, he was awarded the Rose-Walters Prize for Global Environmental Activism. Website: https://rare.org/Support the showThank you for being part of this journey with me, please Subscribe so you don't miss our future episodes, leave a review & share with friends to help these messages ripple out across the world. More information about the Podcast & our host Fiona MacKay: Fiona Mackay Photography WebsiteConnect with us & join the conversation on social media:Instagram @FionaMacKayPhotographyFacebook @FionaMacKayPhotographyTwitter @FiMacKay
In this episode, we talk to Brett Jenks, who leads Rare, a global organization empowering communities to protect and manage natural resources sustainably. As CEO, he has driven initiatives like Fish Forever—the world's largest coastal fishery recovery effort—and has blended behavioral science with community-led conservation, expanding the organization's reach to over 60 countries to address climate change, biodiversity loss, and sustainable agriculture. He has also extended this work into the for-profit sector with The Meloy Fund. Additionally, he is a Catto Fellow, Braddock Scholar, McNulty Prize laureate, and trustee of the Grantham Trust. His commitment to our planet has earned him global recognition, including the Rose-Walters Prize for Environmental Activism.During this episode, we explore Rare's innovative approach to conservation, including how behavioral science and community-led efforts are transforming global environmental action. We discuss lessons from partnerships, the role of impact investing, and the potential of tech innovations like the EverForest game. Plus, we uncover practical steps listeners can take to support conservation and examine the decisions that have shaped Rare's impact under his leadership.Links from the episodes:180: 1% for the Planet: Pioneering Global Environmental Solutions with Kate WilliamsEver Forrest GameWhere can people find Brett and Rare?FacebookInstagramLinkedIn - RareLinkedIn - BrettYouTubeWebsiteKEY TAKE AWAY“People change when they see other people change.”
Brett Jenks discusses Rare's mission to inspire change for the benefit of both people and nature. He emphasizes the importance of understanding human behavior in conservation efforts and shares insights on how community engagement and behavioral science can drive sustainable practices. "People are a huge opportunity for conservation," he said. "We need both policy change and individual action." Jenks highlights successful initiatives by Rare, the impact of media on climate action, and the need for individual action in addressing climate change. He concludes with a call for a collective effort to shift behaviors and achieve conservation goals."Your individual behavior matters in climate change." Rare is a global leader in driving social change for people and nature. For over 50 years, across 60 countries, it has inspired and empowered millions of people and their communities to protect our shared planet. Each of Rare's programs today — The Center for Behavior & the Environment, Fish Forever, Lands for Life, Climate Culture, and Innovative Finance — support the shared goal of driving collective action at the local level to address global challenges. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
288: How Can Nonprofits Use For-Profit Ventures to Drive Growth? (Brett Jenks)SUMMARYThis episode is brought to you by our friends at Armstrong McGuire & Associates. Check them out for your next career opportunity OR for help finding an interim executive or your next leader. Are you struggling to find sustainable funding for your nonprofit and wondering if for-profit ventures could be the solution? In episode 288 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, Brett Jenks shares an innovative approach to revenue generation that challenges traditional nonprofit thinking. By exploring the intersection of nonprofit missions and for-profit ventures, he offers insight into how organizations can scale their impact through creative partnerships with private capital. Brett explains the importance of blending philanthropic support with market-driven solutions, using real-world examples from his work at Rare, a global conservation organization. He also discusses how nonprofits can tap into additional revenue streams while maintaining their mission, the role of impact investing, and the legal and cultural complexities that come with these strategies. ABOUT BRETTBrett Jenks is a global conservation leader and social entrepreneur. As CEO of Rare, he has led the international nonprofit's mission to drive social change for the benefit of people and nature in more than 60 countries. Under Brett's leadership, Rare has catalyzed the conservation community's embrace of people-centered, behavior-based approaches to conserving nature and addressing climate change. Amongst its programs around the world today, Rare is promoting regenerative agricultural practices, establishing community-managed marine protected areas across the developing tropics, launching the world's first impact bond for small-scale fisheries, partnering with Hollywood to promote climate-friendly behaviors, and engaging gamers globally with video games designed to drive climate-friendly actions. A former journalist, Brett's writing has appeared in the New York Times, Stanford Social Innovation Review, and Behavioral Scientist. EPISODE TOPICS & RESOURCESReady for your next leadership opportunity? Visit our partners at Armstrong McGuireThe Deluge by Stephen MarkleyHave you gotten Patton's book Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership: Seven Keys to Advancing Your Career in the Philanthropic Sector? Now available on AudibleDon't miss our weekly Thursday Leadership Lens for the latest on nonprofit leadership
The climate crisis cannot be solved by one person, one organization, one company, or one government. A network of collaboration is being built, and nonprofits often serve as the connective tissue. Our guest today Brett Jenks, is the CEO of Rare.org, a global conservation and development organization dedicated to empowering communities in the world's most biologically diverse regions to sustainably manage their natural resources. Under Brett's leadership, Rare has grown from a small nonprofit into a global leader in conservation, with a $30 million annual budget and active projects across 60 countries. Rare's efforts span a variety of critical areas, including Fish Forever, the world's largest coastal fishery recovery effort; Lands for Life, a climate-smart agriculture program; the groundbreaking Center for Behavior & the Environment, which merges behavioral science with conservation; and Climate Culture, a strategy designed to help the U.S. meet its Paris Agreement targets.Beyond his leadership of Rare, Brett is also an innovator in the for-profit sector with the Meloy Fund, a blue economy investment vehicle that supports a growing portfolio of companies, including several focused on sustainable fisheries in Southeast Asia and EverForest, a video game that turns virtual actions into real-world tree planting. Brett shared seven ideas Americans can act on to change their environmental impact. You can learn more about Rare at https://rare.org/ and about the Meloy Fund at https://www.meloyfund.com/
"If you want to save any species on Earth, there's really only one species you have to fully understand, and thats homo sapiens, because are the cause and therefore we are the solution to just about every rewilding or biodiversity or climate concern."This time on Rewilding the World, Ben Golsmith talks to Brett Jenks, CEO of Rare.org. They discuss how the St. Lucian parrot was saved - in part - by a rebrand and how changing the attitudes of ordinary people can have transformatively positive impacts on the environment. Brett Jenks has championed behavior change in the conservation community for more than 30 years. As CEO, he leads Rare's international mission to equip people in the world's most biologically diverse countries with the tools and motivation needed to sustainably manage their natural resources.Ben Goldsmith is a British financier and rewilding enthusiast. Join him as he speaks to environmentalists and thought leaders from all over the world who are working to help restore habitats and wildlife to some of the most nature depleted parts of our planet.This podcast is produced by The Podcast Coach.Text Rewilding the World here. Let us know what you think of the podcast and if there are any rewilding projects you would love Ben to feature in future episodes. The Conservation Collective support locally-led environmental Foundations around the world. Together we'll protect and restore the wild places we know and love.
Matt interviews Brett Jenks, the CEO of Rare, a nonprofit that has led environmental conservation projects for 50 years and impacted the lives of millions, helping people and nature thrive together through community-led efforts across 60 countries.Brett was a journalist and film producer before he traveled to Costa Rica in 1992 for a government-partnered English teaching program. There, he designed an award-winning local ecotourism program for Rare and rose through the ranks to become CEO in 2000.In 2017, he was awarded the Rose-Walters Prize for Global Environmental Activism.Make sure to check out our sponsor for today's episode at Vala Alta using this link for 15% off.
Brett Jenks is the CEO of Rare which has developed a people-centered approach to finding and implementing solutions for biodiversity loss, climate change, food systems, gender equity, and green finance.In this episode, we talk about:How behavioral research is being used to encourage marine conservationThe nature-positive transformations happening in coastal fisheriesHow to identifying local leaders catalyzes change…and much more!You can learn more about Rare here and follow Brett on X.NewAtlantis Labs seeks to address the twin challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss by aligning community, government, industry, and individual benefit with the improving ecological health of our ocean.For more from NewAtlantis, visit our websiteFollow us on X and join the conversation on our Discord.Produced by Peoples Media Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Climate change poses one of the most existential threats of our time. It is a complex and overwhelming problem that requires a diverse set of solutions. We also know that at its core, this crisis, like many, is a moral challenge, rather than a technical one. In this episode of LIMINAL, we invite you to think less about the “what” of climate work and more about the “who” and “who” we need to be in order to create the transformational change required to combat the warming planet.On this episode, Dar Vanderbeck is in conversation with two climate leaders - Dr. Katharine Wilkinson, Executive Director of the All We Can Save Project and author of Drawdown and Brett Jenks, CEO of Rare and an Aspen Institute Catto Fellow, to explore their unique paths into climate work and invite you to think about the ways you might show up. Learn more about All We Can Save: https://www.allwecansave.earth/ Learn more about Rare's behavior change work: https://rare.org/program/climate-culture/ Follow the AGLN on across social media at @AspenAGLN and if you liked this episode, subscribe and give the show five stars. A new episode will be hitting your feed in April.
Anju and Justin chat with Brett Jenks, CEO, Rare, the conservation world's leading behavior change organization. They talk about innovating social change, and perhaps more importantly, how everyone, as an individual can take on planet-sized challenges—like climate change, sustainable fishing, and conserving rare species—and actually make a difference. For more information about Rare and the amazing work they do around the globe, visit Rare.org.
When we think about the magnitude of global emissions and the scale of the decarbonisation challenge, it is easy to feel that our individual actions are inconsequential. In this episode, we talk to Brett Jenks, President and CEO of the conservation organisation Rare, to look at the crucial role of behaviour change in reducing carbon dioxide emissions. Brett tells us about the practical insights Rare has gleaned on how to facilitate behaviour change– and talks us through a recent report by Rare which found that 30 key carbon dioxide reduction solutions –as outlined in Project Drawdown — depend on behaviour change, altogether amounting to one third of the reductions in greenhouse gas emissions modelled. While different solutions are applicable to different parts of the world, it is clear that behaviour change is crucial. As Brett puts it: “socially we need to change our lifestyles faster than our climate is changing or we're no longer going to be in control”. With over twenty years' experience in harnessing behaviour change for conservation and sustainability efforts, Brett stresses that typical strategies revolving around logic and hard facts are broken and rarely go beyond creating a small but committed constituency. Instead, creating climate smart behaviour is dependent on emotional appeals, social incentives and choice architecture, approaches found in nudge theory. Drawing parallels with the societal changes that have occurred in much of the western world around attitudes to racism, homophobia and sexism, Brett points out that rapid changes in societal norms are possible. Drawing on Everett Rodgers' theory of the diffusion of innovation he explains how change happens and emphasises the importance of early adopters in making change visible and desirable. In particular, he points to a growing acceptance for plant-rich diets and the rise of Tesla as examples of climate smart behaviours that are starting to move towards an early majority. Brett also emphasises the importance of building momentum around behaviour change in order to encourage policy shift. He notes that advocacy work by organisations tends to overemphasise the importance of politicians at the expense of social movements, which are often what drive policy change. He also points to how shifting consumer preferences, particularly among eco-conscious millennials are encouraging the market to react accordingly. He also points out that much of this is being facilitated by the radical transparency provided by new technologies, such as blockchain, which are empowering consumers and may eventually allow us to see our carbon footprints as accurately and readily as we see our bank balances. Brett Jenks is the President and CEO of Rare, a global conservation organization whose mission is to inspire change so people and nature thrive. Rare's work stems from the belief that the root causes of environmental dangers stem from human behaviour and draws on marketing techniques and technical interventions to equip people in biologically diverse areas with the tools and motivation to protect their natural resources. Under Brett's leadership the organisation has grown substantially so that it now operates in 56 countries and has reached over ten million people. He has written for The New York Times, Huffington Post, the Stanford Social Innovation Review and other publications. He is a Catto Fellow, Braddock Scholar, and McNulty Prize laureate at the Aspen Institute and serves on the Closed Loop Fund investment committee and Rare's board of directors. Prior to Rare, Brett was a journalist and filmmaker, and he served as the Costa Rica Field Coordinator for WorldTeach, a non-profit based at Harvard's Center for International Development. You can find out more about the report Climate Change Needs Behavior Change: Making the Case for Behavioral Solutions to Reduce Global Warming here. This is an edited version of an interview for the Drawdown Agenda podcast. The post Episode 64: The importance of behaviour change to reduce CO2. Interview with CEO of Rare, Brett Jenks appeared first on The Sustainability Agenda.
When we think about the magnitude of global emissions and the scale of the decarbonisation challenge, it is easy to feel that our individual actions are inconsequential. In this special episode of the Drawdown Agenda, we talk to the President and CEO of the conservation organisation Rare Brett Jenks, to look at the role of...
With rich and varied coral reefs, Indonesia and the Philippines are critically important for marine biodiversity, says Brett Jenks of Rare, a conservation organization. Overfishing could result in millions losing their livelihoods and leads to degradation of coastal habitats, making them less resilient to climate change. But there is hope. In marine reserves started as pilot projects, fish populations are increasing by as much as 390 percent.
With rich and varied coral reefs, Indonesia and the Philippines are critically important for marine biodiversity, says Brett Jenks of Rare, a conservation organization. Overfishing could result in millions losing their livelihoods and leads to degradation of coastal habitats, making them less resilient to climate change. But there is hope. In marine reserves started as pilot projects, fish populations are increasing by as much as 390 percent.
As the world's population continues to grow, the demand for increased amounts of food strains our soil and the ecosystems juxtaposed to agricultural sites. International NGO, Rare, and its partners have just announced the launch of a global competition, Solution Search. The contest is open to any organization that has an innovative solution in sustainable farming, while promoting behaviors that strengthen biodiversity across the agricultural sector. Examples of potential entries include: sustainable land use management that integrates the consideration of biodiversity and ecosystems; alternative pest control practices that reduce toxic run-off into local water sources; organic farming methods that increase soil biodiversity (or other species); livestock control measures that protect local flora and fauna; and innovative approaches that reduce human-animal conflicts in agricultural zones. Tune in as we learn more from Rare CEO, Brett Jenks.
Wendy Paulson '69, Distinguished Visiting Professor, Albright Institute and Brett Jenks, Chief Executive Officer, RARE explain their work in various conservation movements including restoring the prairie, protecting the toucan, and repairing damage caused by overfishing. Image credit: RARE brochure. http://rareconservation.org/sites/default/files/RareApproach_lores_English.pdf