DiCaprio and Bezos launch $200M fund for endangered species

Key Points:

• Foundations co-founded by Leonardo DiCaprio and Jeff Bezos have launched the Phoenix Species Project, committing $200 million to revive 100 of Earth’s most threatened species, marking the largest fund dedicated exclusively to critically endangered species recovery.
• The initiative, led by DiCaprio’s Re:wild and the Bezos Earth Fund, targets a diverse range of species, including lemurs, salamanders, pangolins, and echidnas, with efforts informed by consultations with local governments, environmental groups, and Indigenous communities.
• The project aims to provide sustained support to species that have previously received limited funding, enhancing long-term conservation beyond smaller, short-term efforts.
• Target species include the golden-crowned sifaka from Madagascar, the Hickory Nut Gorge green salamander in North Carolina, the Visayan warty pig in the Philippines, and the Attenborough’s long-beaked echidna from New Guinea, among others.
• Conservation leaders involved emphasize that the new funding and global platform will significantly expand the possibilities for saving species that were previously at risk of extinction due to insufficient resources.