LOS ANGELES – In a groundbreaking initiative, foundations led by renowned environmental advocates Leonardo DiCaprio and Jeff Bezos have announced a commitment of $200 million aimed at reviving 100 of the Earth’s most threatened species. This initiative seeks to protect a diverse array of endangered animals, including lemurs, salamanders, pangolins, pigs, and echidnas.
The Phoenix Species Project, spearheaded by DiCaprio’s Re:wild and the Bezos Earth Fund, is being hailed as the largest single fund ever dedicated exclusively to the recovery of critically endangered species. This ambitious project was officially announced on Tuesday, marking a significant step forward in global conservation efforts.
Recommended Videos
For years, DiCaprio has been passionate about the need for a concerted effort to protect species whose habitats and futures are increasingly endangered by climate change and human activity. His dedication to this cause was solidified during a pivotal meeting in 2021 with Bezos and his wife, Lauren Sánchez Bezos. This meeting set the stage for ongoing discussions with local governments, environmental organizations, and Indigenous communities, focusing on strategies to reverse the decline of vulnerable species.
The initiative aims to support the survival of a variety of species, including:
- The golden-crowned sifaka, a lemur native to Madagascar.
- The Hickory Nut Gorge green salamander, a unique lungless tree-dweller from North Carolina.
- The Visayan warty pig, indigenous to the Philippines.
- Mexico’s Cozumel harvest mouse, found only on an island off the Yucatán Peninsula.
- The pink land iguana, located exclusively on Wolf Volcano in the Galápagos Islands.
- The Malayan pangolin, known as the Sunda pangolin, from Southeast Asia.
- Tanzania’s pancake tortoise, recognized for its flat, flexible shell.
- The starry night harlequin toad, named for its striking appearance, found in the mountains of Colombia.
- Attenborough’s long-beaked echidna, a fascinating egg-laying mammal from New Guinea, named in honor of the esteemed naturalist David Attenborough.
The Phoenix Species Project aims to provide sustainable support for successful but often short-lived conservation efforts. “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, one of the groups receiving funding from this initiative. “This funding, this global platform, and technical support change what is possible.”
