Foundations supported by Leonardo DiCaprio and Jeff Bezos have unveiled a significant initiative. They plan to allocate $200 million towards reviving 100 of Earth’s most threatened species. Endangered animals such as lemurs, salamanders, pangolins, pigs, and echidnas are among those targeted.

DiCaprio’s organization, Re:wild, along with the Bezos Earth Fund, spearheads the Phoenix Species Project. This effort marks the largest singular investment in the recovery of critically endangered species.

For years, DiCaprio has envisioned a major effort to support species at risk due to climate change. In 2021, he and Wes Sechrest, Re:wild’s CEO, discussed the concept with Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos. Bezos chairs the Bezos Earth Fund, while Sánchez Bezos serves as vice chair.

These discussions led to collaborations with local governments, environmental groups, and Indigenous communities. The goal was to reverse the decline of vulnerable species. The result of these efforts is the Phoenix Species Project.

Some of the animals the project seeks to protect include:

• The golden-crowned sifaka, a lemur native to Madagascar.
• The Hickory Nut Gorge green salamander, found only in North Carolina.
• The Visayan warty pig, endemic to Philippine islands.
• Mexico’s Cozumel harvest mouse, located on an island off the Yucatán Peninsula.
• The pink land iguana, residing on Wolf Volcano in the Galápagos Islands.
• The Malayan pangolin, native to Southeast Asia.
• Tanzania’s pancake tortoise, with its distinctive flat shell.
• The starry night harlequin toad, found only in Colombian mountains.
• Attenborough’s long-beaked echidna from New Guinea, in honor of David Attenborough.

The initiative aims to provide enduring support to successful conservation efforts. Tiana Andriamanana, executive director of Association Fanamby, expressed the impact of this funding. She stated that previous budgets could not match the needs of species like the golden-crowned sifaka. The new resources and technical assistance render essential conservation actions feasible.