Leonardo DiCaprio‘s Re:wild, which he co-founded with Dr. Wes Sechrest, and the Bezos Earth Fund are launching the Phoenix Species Project — an initiative with a goal to recover 100 species facing imminent extinction that aims to work with Indigenous Peoples, scientists, and conservationists in an effort to change the future of Earth’s biodiversity.
According to a press release, the project received a $200 million commitment, making it the “largest single philanthropic initiative dedicated exclusively to the recovery of critically endangered species across taxonomic groups, a diversity of habitats, and countries.”
“For decades, scientists, Indigenous Peoples, local communities, and conservation leaders have been on the front lines of protecting nature, and what has been made clear through research, is that species on the brink of extinction are often the ones that anchor some of the world’s most important ecosystems,” said DiCaprio in a statement. “When we protect those species, we also protect the forests, wetlands, grasslands, and oceans they depend on. The Phoenix Species Project has the potential to drastically shift how we approach conservation and combat the climate crisis at a global scale.”
Of the $200 million, $100 million comes from the Bezos Earth Fund and $100 million from Re:wild, with support from DiCaprio, Age of Union, and the Todd Graves Family Foundation. The funding will be allocated to support recovery work spanning multiple years, per the release, with hopes that it will give species enough time to rebound. Population recovery, threat reduction, and report updates will be provided on the project’s website and social media platforms.
The “full Phoenix 100” includes mammals, amphibians, reptiles, birds, fish, invertebrates, and plants from 30 countries that live across a range of habitats including oceans to freshwater lakes, and tropical rainforests to volcanic plains.
“We’ve protected the golden-crowned sifaka for years on a budget that would never match what this species deserves, but letting it go extinct was never an option,” said Tiana Andriamanana, executive director of Association Fanamby, which is receiving a grant from Phoenix Species Project. “This funding, this global platform and technical support change what is possible. We are no longer only holding the line against extinction; we can begin to bring the gold of Madagascar’s northern forests back. In doing so, we protect the landscapes that give Malagasy people drinking water, we open real ecotourism opportunities for local communities, and we prove that conservation succeeds only when everyone has a role in it. People and wildlife always thrived together; we only became disconnected, and now it is a homecoming.”
