Leonardo DiCaprio and Jeff Bezos launch $200M species plan
Leonardo DiCaprio and Jeff Bezos are launching the Phoenix Species Project with a $200 million commitment to recover critically endangered wildlife. Half the funding comes from the Bezos Earth Fund; the rest from Re:wild and partners. The initiative aims to help 100 species across 30 countries.
Key Takeaways
- The Phoenix Species Project launches with a $200 million commitment dedicated exclusively to recovering critically endangered species.
- $100 million comes from the Bezos Earth Fund; another $100 million from Re:wild, with support from Leonardo DiCaprio, Age of Union, and the Todd Graves Family Foundation.
- The project aims to help recover 100 species across mammals, amphibians, reptiles, birds, fish, invertebrates, and plants in 30 countries.
- Partners will work with Indigenous Peoples, local communities, scientists, and the IUCN Species Survival Commission using multi-year funding.
What are Leonardo DiCaprio and Jeff Bezos announcing?
According to Robb Report, DiCaprio is advancing his environmental advocacy through the Phoenix Species Project. The launch arrives with a $200 million commitment, positioning the effort as one of the largest single philanthropic initiatives focused exclusively on critically endangered species recovery across taxonomic groups, habitats, and countries.
Half of the money comes from the Bezos Earth Fund. The other $100 million comes from Re:wild—co-founded by DiCaprio and Dr. Wes Sechrest—with backing from DiCaprio, Age of Union, and the Todd Graves Family Foundation.
How will the $200 million help endangered species?
Organizers say the project will support recovery for 100 species facing imminent extinction. Rather than relying only on short-term grants, it plans sustained investment over multiple years while partnering with Indigenous Peoples, local communities, scientists, and conservationists.
The target list spans mammals, amphibians, reptiles, birds, fish, invertebrates, and plants from 30 countries. More than 100 local and international partners will help lead tailored recovery work in collaboration with the IUCN Species Survival Commission. Population recovery and threat reduction will be tracked, with updates shared on the project website and social channels.
Named examples include Madagascar’s golden-crowned sifaka, the bowmouth guitarfish, a desert succulent illegally harvested in western South Africa, Hickory Nut Gorge green salamanders in North Carolina, the Charco Azul pupfish, and Australia’s night parrot.
Why does this conservation push matter now?
DiCaprio said species on the brink often anchor vital ecosystems, and protecting them also protects forests, wetlands, grasslands, and oceans. He framed the Phoenix Species Project as a chance to shift conservation and climate action at global scale, citing the Bezos Earth Fund gift as transformative.
Lauren Sánchez Bezos, vice chair of the Bezos Earth Fund, stressed recovery over managed decline: 100 species, 30 countries, and long enough commitment to finish the work. The announcement landed today, though talks began years earlier—including a spring 2021 meeting among DiCaprio, Sechrest, Jeff Bezos, and Sánchez Bezos that also helped spark the Protecting Our Planet Challenge.
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