DiCaprio and Bezos Launch $200M Species Recovery Project

Ten years after his Oscar speech urged the world not to take our planet for granted, Leonardo DiCaprio is backing those words with the biggest wildlife rescue mission in history.

The Phoenix Species Project launches today with $200 million committed to saving 100 species facing imminent extinction across 30 countries. Half the funding comes from the Bezos Earth Fund, while the other $100 million comes from Re:wild, the conservation organization DiCaprio co-founded with scientist Dr. Wes Sechrest.

This isn't your typical conservation effort. Instead of short-term grants that run out just as progress begins, the Phoenix Species Project will provide sustained investment over multiple years, giving recovery programs the time they actually need to work.

The rescued species read like a wild Noah's Ark. There's the golden-crowned sifaka swinging through Madagascar's trees, ancient bowmouth guitarfish that survived millions of years only to face extinction now, and the night parrot hiding in Australia's remote deserts. Tiny Hickory Nut Gorge green salamanders cling to rocks in a North Carolina canyon, while Charco Azul pupfish swim in isolated waters and rare desert succulents battle illegal plant traders in South Africa.

The project will work directly with Indigenous Peoples, local communities, scientists and more than 100 conservation partners who know these habitats best. Each recovery plan is custom-built for its environment, recognizing that saving a salamander in North Carolina requires completely different strategies than protecting a sifaka in Madagascar.

The idea sparked during a 2021 meeting between DiCaprio, Bezos, and Lauren Sánchez Bezos, who now serves as vice chair of the Bezos Earth Fund. DiCaprio shared his long-developing vision for protecting endangered species and their homes, and the conversation eventually grew into this historic commitment.

Why This Inspires

Lauren Sánchez Bezos captured the heart of this mission perfectly. Kids fall in love with wild animals before anyone tells them those creatures are disappearing. What do we tell a seven-year-old when their favorite animal vanishes forever?

DiCaprio explained that saving these species does double duty. When we protect animals on the brink of extinction, we also protect the forests, wetlands, grasslands and oceans they call home. These vulnerable creatures often anchor entire ecosystems.

The Phoenix Species Project will track population numbers and threat levels, sharing regular updates on its website and social media so everyone can watch these comebacks unfold in real time.

The project's name says it all: species rising from the ashes, given a second chance through sustained commitment and smart conservation. This isn't about managing decline anymore. It's about actual recovery.