Key Takeaways
- • Leonardo DiCaprio's Re:wild and the Bezos Earth Fund jointly launched the Phoenix Species Project with a $200 million commitment to recover 100 critically endangered species, described as the largest single fund in history dedicated exclusively to species recovery.
- • The initiative targets preservation of seven named species including Madagascar's golden-crowned sifaka, the Malayan pangolin, the Hickory Nut Gorge green salamander endemic to North Carolina, and the pink land iguana found only in the Galápagos Islands.
- • Jeff Bezos (chair of the Bezos Earth Fund) and his wife Lauren Sánchez Bezos (vice chair) partnered with DiCaprio and Re:wild CEO Wes Sechrest following initial conversations in 2021 that expanded to include local governments, environmental organizations, and Indigenous communities.
- • The Phoenix Species Project emerged from multi-year consultation with stakeholders on reversing species decline driven by climate change and habitat loss, positioning the initiative as a coordinated rather than fragmented conservation approach.
Summary
Leonardo DiCaprio and Jeff Bezos have established a landmark conservation funding mechanism through their respective foundations. DiCaprio's Re:wild organization and the Bezos Earth Fund jointly announced the Phoenix Species Project on Tuesday, committing $200 million to the recovery of 100 of the planet's most critically endangered species. The organizations characterize this as the largest single fund in history dedicated exclusively to species recovery, differentiating it from broader environmental funding efforts that address multiple conservation objectives.
The partnership originated from a 2021 meeting between DiCaprio, Re:wild co-founder and CEO Wes Sechrest, and Jeff and Lauren Sánchez Bezos, who serve as chair and vice chair respectively of the Bezos Earth Fund. This initial discussion catalyzed a series of consultations with local governments, environmental groups, and Indigenous communities to develop a coordinated strategy for reversing species decline. The resulting initiative reflects DiCaprio's multi-year development of a "major concerted effort" to address species threatened by climate change, as stated in the announcement.
The initiative targets seven named species across geographically and taxonomically diverse regions: the golden-crowned sifaka (a lemur from Madagascar), the Hickory Nut Gorge green salamander (a lungless tree-dweller endemic to a small North Carolina canyon), the Malayan pangolin (native to Southeast Asia), the Visayan warty pig (endemic to Philippine islands), Mexico's Cozumel harvest mouse (found only off the Yucatán Peninsula), the pink land iguana (restricted to Wolf Volcano in the Galápagos), and Tanzania's pancake tortoise. This portfolio represents species with critically limited geographic ranges and severe population pressures, making them candidates for extinction without intervention. The $200 million allocation positions this as a substantial capital commitment to large-scale conservation infrastructure rather than incremental funding adjustments within existing programs.
The partnership originated from a 2021 meeting between DiCaprio, Re:wild co-founder and CEO Wes Sechrest, and Jeff and Lauren Sánchez Bezos, who serve as chair and vice chair respectively of the Bezos Earth Fund. This initial discussion catalyzed a series of consultations with local governments, environmental groups, and Indigenous communities to develop a coordinated strategy for reversing species decline. The resulting initiative reflects DiCaprio's multi-year development of a "major concerted effort" to address species threatened by climate change, as stated in the announcement.
The initiative targets seven named species across geographically and taxonomically diverse regions: the golden-crowned sifaka (a lemur from Madagascar), the Hickory Nut Gorge green salamander (a lungless tree-dweller endemic to a small North Carolina canyon), the Malayan pangolin (native to Southeast Asia), the Visayan warty pig (endemic to Philippine islands), Mexico's Cozumel harvest mouse (found only off the Yucatán Peninsula), the pink land iguana (restricted to Wolf Volcano in the Galápagos), and Tanzania's pancake tortoise. This portfolio represents species with critically limited geographic ranges and severe population pressures, making them candidates for extinction without intervention. The $200 million allocation positions this as a substantial capital commitment to large-scale conservation infrastructure rather than incremental funding adjustments within existing programs.
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