DiCaprio Invests $200M to Save 100 Endangered Species

The world's most endangered species just got a powerful ally and a massive safety net.

Leonardo DiCaprio announced the Phoenix Species Project, a $200 million initiative dedicated exclusively to saving 100 critically endangered species from extinction. The effort represents the largest single philanthropic investment ever made for species recovery across the globe.

The project combines $100 million from the Bezos Earth Fund with $100 million from Re:wild, DiCaprio's conservation organization. Support also comes from Age of Union and the Todd Graves Family Foundation.

The 100 targeted species span mammals, amphibians, reptiles, birds, fish, invertebrates, and plants across 30 countries. They include the golden-crowned sifaka, a critically endangered primate in Madagascar, the bowmouth guitarfish, Australia's night parrot, and even the fuzzy belly button, a tiny desert succulent illegally harvested in South Africa.

DiCaprio emphasized that protecting these keystone species does far more than save individual animals. "Species on the brink of extinction are often the ones that anchor some of the world's most important ecosystems," he said in a statement. "When we protect those species, we also protect the forests, wetlands, grasslands, and oceans they depend on."

More than 100 local and international partners will lead the recovery efforts through strategic grant funding. Recovery strategies include conservation breeding programs, habitat restoration, disease management, and controlling invasive species.

Tiana Andriamanana, executive director of Association Fanamby in Madagascar, received a Phoenix Species Project grant to protect the golden-crowned sifaka. "We've protected the golden-crowned sifaka for years on a budget that would never match what this species deserves," she said. "This funding, this global platform and technical support change what is possible."

The project breaks from traditional conservation approaches by providing sustained, long-term investment rather than small, short-term donations. Lauren Sánchez Bezos, Vice Chair of the Bezos Earth Fund, captured this shift perfectly. "One hundred species, thirty countries, and a real commitment to bringing them back," she said. "Not managing their decline. Recovering them."

The Ripple Effect

Saving these species creates waves of positive change beyond the animals themselves. In Madagascar, protecting the golden-crowned sifaka means safeguarding the forests that provide drinking water to local communities and opening ecotourism opportunities. "People and wildlife always thrived together," Andriamanana said. "We only became disconnected, and now it is a homecoming."

The project will track population recovery and report regular updates through its website and social media platforms. By partnering with the IUCN Species Survival Commission, known for scientific rigor, the Phoenix Species Project ensures expert oversight at every step.

Yula Kepetanakos, Re:wild's senior manager of the Phoenix Species Project, believes this big-investment, local-action approach could transform wildlife conservation. "We have the tools we need to help these species," she said. "We just need to mobilize the resources."

With committed funding and expert local partners, 100 species facing extinction now have a fighting chance at recovery.