Welcome to Solution Search!

Check back soon for the second Solution Search: Adapting to a Changing Climate!

Solution Search rewards innovative conservation successes in communities where the need is greatest. In the first of many searches Rare and its partners seek solutions to help remedy an environmental crisis that is quickly becoming a humanitarian issue: the depletion of global fish stocks. The first Solution Search received more than 100 entries from 48 countries. Our panel of judges narrowed the field down to ten finalists, and you helped pick the winner. After tallying more than 5,000 votes, Rare and its partners are pleased to announce the winners!

Jump to: solution search theme, important dates, eligibility, criteria, prizes

What have you, or your organization, discovered to help protect coastal biodiversity and improve the productivity and sustainability of local fisheries?

Examples of solutions might include, but are not limited to, the areas of:

• No-take zones
• TURF (territorial user rights in fisheries) reserves
• Locally-managed marine areas (LMMAs)
• Fishing gear
• Community or individual catch shares
• Fishing licenses
• Protective measures for key species
• Eradicating destructive fishing techniques
• Monitoring of catch compositions
• Data collection and analysis
• Community enforcement and natural resource management
• Creation of social and capital resilience
• Development of alternative livelihoods
• Regulation of curio and aquarium trades
• Biodiversity protection
• Reduction of terrestrial threats, such as road construction and local agriculture
• Other innovative ways of managing local fisheries

September 1, 2011 Start applying.

October, 31, 2011, 11:59:59 p.m. EDT Applications must be submitted.

November 16, 2011 Finalists announced and online voting begins.

January 6, 2012 Winner announced!

The 2011 Solution Search is open to organizations (charitable organizations, private companies and public entities) from all over the world. Entries will be considered that comply with the following:

• Applications must be submitted by October, 31, 2011, 11:59:59 p.m. EDT.
• Applications must be submitted in English.
• All fields in the application must be completed.
• A measurable success in community fisheries management must be clearly articulated.
• If selected as the winner, applicant must agree to use the prize money to further the organization’s goals.
• If applicant’s solution is selected as the winner, applicant must agree to comply with all national and international laws governing the transfer of any prizes, monetary or otherwise, across national and international boundaries.
• Agree to all terms of submission as described in the entry form.

Please contact Katie Velasco (kvelasco@rareconservation.org) with any questions concerning eligibility, criteria for entry or general inquiries about the Solution Search.

All entries will be submitted through the Solution Search website. Entries will then go through a three-tiered judging process and finalists will be announced for the public to vote for the winner. First, a panel from within Rare’s staff will narrow the total pool of entries to 30. Next, a select group of expert judges will select 10 finalists. Then the public selects the winner and two runner-ups. All applicants will be ranked throughout the process on the following criteria:

• Innovation: How well does the solution demonstrate an innovative approach that fosters sustainable fisheries and promotes healthy coastal ecosystems.
• Biodiversity impact: What impact on biodiversity has been achieved or do you anticipate?
• Impact on human wellbeing and livelihoods: Does this solution demonstrate a positive impact on community livelihoods and well being? How many people are affected and in what way? (Global impacts might also be considered).
• Replicability: How readily and broadly can the solution be replicated in other places with similar characteristics?
• Sustainability and resilience: Does the solution have long-term sustainability? Does it have the ability to adapt to changing demographics, socioeconomic and climate realities?
• Governance: Is the solution being managed by a community that demonstrates good governance, leadership and social cohesion? Is the community involved in management and enforcement of the local fishery?

Please keep these criteria in mind when completing the entry form below.

• The grand prize winner will receive a US $20,000 project grant to support the conservation and resource management initiative and the winner will receive the award at a ceremony in Washington, D.C.
• Two runner-ups will receive project grants of US $5,000 each and will receive their awards at the winner’s ceremony in Washington, D.C.
• Any of the top 10 finalists will be eligible to become a model for replication through Rare’s global Pride campaigns.
• The chance for your organization to be featured in a video on National Geographic’s The Ocean website.

Rare is an international environmental organization committed to conservation programs that benefit both people and nature. Rare recognizes that conservation ultimately comes down to people. So, conservationists must become as skilled in social change as in science. Rare specializes in designing and implementing social marketing campaigns to change behaviors of people that live in and around the world’s areas of highest biodiversity. Rare searches the globe for replicable, sustainable environmental success stories and then trains local conservation leaders to develop and market those proven practices in order to protect imperiled species without compromising basic human needs.

Contact Us

Please contact Katie Velasco (kvelasco@rareconservation.org) with any questions concerning eligibility, criteria for entry or general inquiries about the Solution Search.