Bezos and DiCaprio Foundations Commit $200M to Save Endangered Species

Foundations co-founded and funded by Leonardo DiCaprio and Jeff Bezos have launched the Phoenix Species Project, an initiative pledging $200 million to revive 100 of Earth's most threatened species, including lemurs, pangolins, and echidnas.

The project, spearheaded by DiCaprio's Re:wild and the Bezos Earth Fund, is described as the largest single fund in history dedicated exclusively to recovering critically endangered species. Its goal is to provide long-term sustenance for smaller, successful conservation efforts that have previously struggled with limited resources.

The initiative stems from DiCaprio's long-standing vision for a concerted effort to protect species imperiled by climate change and habitat loss. A 2021 meeting between DiCaprio, Re:wild co-founder Wes Sechrest, Bezos, and his wife Lauren Sánchez Bezos led to discussions with local governments and Indigenous groups, culminating in the establishment of the Phoenix Species Project.

Species targeted for recovery include the golden-crowned sifaka from Madagascar, the Hickory Nut Gorge salamander of North Carolina, the Visayan warty pig of the Philippines, Mexico's Cozumel harvest mouse, Galapagos pink land iguanas, the Malayan pangolin, Tanzania's pancake tortoise, and Attenborough's long-beaked echidna from New Guinea.

Tiana Andriamanana, executive director of Association Fanamby, one of the grant recipients, stated that the funding, global platform, and technical support will significantly enhance the possibilities for species recovery.