Foundations co-founded by Leonardo DiCaprio and Jeff Bezos have launched a $200 million initiative to support the recovery of 100 of the planet's most threatened species. The effort, known as the Phoenix Species Project, represents the largest single fund exclusively dedicated to the revival of critically endangered animals.
The initiative is a collaboration between DiCaprio's Re:wild foundation and the Bezos Earth Fund. Discussions leading to the project began in 2021 when DiCaprio and Re:wild co-founder Wes Sechrest met with Jeff Bezos and his wife, Lauren Sánchez Bezos, who chairs the Bezos Earth Fund. These conversations involved local governments, environmental organizations, and Indigenous communities to determine the most effective strategies for aiding vulnerable species.
The project aims to provide long-term support for smaller conservation efforts that have shown promise. Among the species targeted for revival are the golden-crowned sifaka, a lemur from Madagascar; the Visayan warty pig of the Philippines; and the Malayan pangolin, native to Southeast Asia. Other species include the Hickory Nut Gorge green salamander, found only in a small canyon in North Carolina; Mexico's Cozumel harvest mouse; the pink land iguana of the Galápagos Islands; Tanzania's pancake tortoise; the starry night harlequin toad from Colombia; and Attenborough’s long-beaked echidna from New Guinea.
Association Fanamby executive director Tiana Andriamanana stated that the funding, global platform, and technical support provided by the initiative will significantly expand what is possible for species like the golden-crowned sifaka, which have previously been protected with limited resources. DiCaprio has long been developing the concept of a large-scale, concerted effort to assist species facing existential threats from climate change.