Leonardo DiCaprio and Jeff Bezos Launch $200M Phoenix Species Project

Leonardo DiCaprio and Jeff Bezos have committed $200 million to an ambitious conservation effort through their foundations, Re:wild and the Bezos Earth Fund. This initiative aims to revive 100 of the most threatened species worldwide. The Phoenix Species Project, announced on Tuesday, represents the largest single fund focused on rescuing critically endangered species.

DiCaprio has a longstanding interest in addressing the challenges posed by climate change on species’ habitats and survival. In 2021, he and Re:wild co-founder Wes Sechrest, a biologist and the organization’s CEO, initiated discussions with Bezos and his wife, Lauren Sánchez Bezos. Bezos chairs the Bezos Earth Fund, and Sánchez serves as vice chair.

AP AUDIO: Leonardo DiCaprio and Jeff Bezos lead $200M project to save 100 of the globe’s most threatened species. AP’s Lisa Dwyer reports on two headliners teaming up to help save endangered species.

Following these discussions, a collaborative approach emerged with local governments, environmental groups, and Indigenous communities to halt the decline of their most vulnerable species, culminating in the Phoenix Species Project.

The initiative targets numerous species, including:

• The golden-crowned sifaka, a lemur from Madagascar
• The Hickory Nut Gorge green salamander from North Carolina
• The Visayan warty pig from the Philippines
• Mexico’s Cozumel harvest mouse
• The pink land iguana from the Galápagos Islands
• The Malayan pangolin from Southeast Asia
• Tanzania’s pancake tortoise
• The starry night harlequin toad from Colombia
• Attenborough’s long-beaked echidna from New Guinea

One of the project’s goals is to provide lasting support to smaller, successful efforts. Tiana Andriamanana, executive director of Association Fanamby, one of the initiative’s grant recipients, expressed optimism. “We’ve protected the golden-crowned sifaka for years on a tight budget, but extinction was never an option,” she stated. “This funding, global platform, and technical support change what is possible.”