DiCaprio and Bezos Commit $200M to Save 100 Rare Species

The world's most endangered animals just got a powerful lifeline that could change the course of conservation history.

Re:wild, co-founded by Leonardo DiCaprio, and the Bezos Earth Fund announced Tuesday they're investing $200 million to save 100 critically endangered species through the Phoenix Species Project. It's the largest single fund ever dedicated solely to recovering species on the brink of extinction.

The initiative will provide long-term funding for animals facing mounting threats from habitat loss and climate change. Species set to benefit include the Visayan warty pig from the Philippines, the pink land iguana found only in Ecuador's Galápagos Islands, the Malayan pangolin, Tanzania's pancake tortoise, and Attenborough's long-beaked echidna from New Guinea.

The project grew from a 2021 meeting between DiCaprio, Re:wild CEO Wes Sechrest, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, and his wife Lauren Sánchez Bezos. Their vision sparked consultations with governments, conservation organizations, and Indigenous communities to identify the most effective strategies for reversing biodiversity loss.

For conservation groups working tirelessly with limited resources, this funding represents a game changer. "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 grant recipients. "This funding, this global platform and technical support change what is possible."

The Ripple Effect

The timing couldn't be more critical. The International Union for Conservation of Nature reports that 49,500 species are now threatened with extinction, representing 28% of all assessed species. By providing stable, long-term funding, the Phoenix Species Project gives conservation teams the ability to plan decades ahead rather than scrambling for grants year after year.

DiCaprio has championed environmental causes for years, previously pledging $5 million through Earth Alliance to help the Amazon rainforest during the 2019 wildfires. Now, that commitment has evolved into something far bigger.

When conservation efforts have the resources they truly need, species can bounce back from the edge of extinction.