Since July 2025, all Leave No Trace Level 1 and Level 2 Instructors are required to recertify every two years to maintain active status. This update ensures that instructors continue teaching based on best practices, recent research, and effective teaching techniques — while reinforcing each instructor’s commitment to protecting natural environments.
Keeping your certification up-to-date means delivering high-quality training with current, research-based information, contributing to expanding the reach of minimum impact education in Brazil and worldwide.
How Recertification Works
Recertification is the process that keeps your credential valid and officially recognized by Leave No Trace.
- Frequency: required every 2 years.
- Where to complete it: recertification is done online through the Learn.LNT.org platform.
- Format: short course featuring updated content and cutting-edge research.
- Teaching courses does not replace recertification: instructing classes doesn’t count — you must complete the online course.
Leave No Trace Recertification Fees
Maintaining certification includes an administrative fee, which grants access to the online course (as of September 2025).
Level 1: US$ 25
Level 2: US$ 50
Benefits of Recertification
- Recertification is not just an obligation — it’s an opportunity for professional development and connection with the LNT community.
- Access to the most up-to-date content on Leave No Trace education and research.
- Official Level 1 or Level 2 Instructor badge added to your LinkedIn profile.
- LNT member benefits, including discounts at over 20 outdoor gear brands.
The Role of Gear Tips
In Brazil, Gear Tips is the Corporate Partner of Leave No Trace and, through the Programa CAPACITAR, has already trained hundreds of Level 1 and Level 2 instructors. All certified instructors are listed on our website: Instructors certified through the Programa CAPACITAR
This means that instructors affiliated with Gear Tips can issue official Workshop and Course certificates through our structure.
Recertification in Practice
The process is simple and 100% online.
- Go to Learn.LNT.org.
- Select the corresponding course (Level 1 or Level 2).
- Pay the fee (US$ 25 or US$ 50).
- Complete the online modules.
- Receive your updated certification, valid for another 2 years.
What Has Changed Compared to the Past?
Leave No Trace has updated its training structure to make it clearer and more accessible.
- The former Trainer and Master Educator titles were reclassified in 2023 as Level 1 and Level 2 Instructors.
- The former Master Educator Refresher Course has been discontinued and replaced by the Level 2 Recertification Course.
- Teaching workshops or courses does not count as recertification.
If you are a Leave No Trace Level 1 Instructor who completed the Programa CAPACITAR Gear Tips course more than two years ago, you can now access the platform, complete your recertification, and ensure you remain qualified to teach courses and workshops with official certificate issuance.
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