DiCaprio Launches $200M Fund to Save 100 Endangered Species

When a golden-crowned sifaka swings through Madagascar's forests or a tiny desert succulent blooms in South Africa, entire ecosystems stay alive with them.

Now these endangered species and 98 others have a real shot at survival thanks to the Phoenix Species Project, a new $200 million initiative co-founded by Leonardo DiCaprio's Re:wild organization and the Bezos Earth Fund. Each fund contributed $100 million to create the largest single philanthropic project ever dedicated to species recovery across multiple continents.

The project targets 100 critically endangered species spanning mammals, amphibians, reptiles, birds, fish, invertebrates, and plants across 30 countries. These aren't random picks. Scientists chose species that anchor vital ecosystems, meaning when they survive, the forests, wetlands, grasslands, and oceans they live in thrive too.

"Species on the brink of extinction are often the ones that anchor some of the world's most important ecosystems," DiCaprio said in a statement. "When we protect those species, we also protect the forests, wetlands, grasslands, and oceans they depend on."

Local and international partners will receive strategic grant funding tailored to each species' specific needs. Recovery strategies include conservation breeding programs, habitat restoration, disease management, and controlling invasive species. The approach represents a major shift from small, short-term donations to sustained, ambitious investment.

Tiana Andriamanana, whose organization has protected Madagascar's golden-crowned sifaka for years on a shoestring budget, said the funding changes everything. "We are no longer only holding the line against extinction; we can begin to bring the gold of Madagascar's northern forests back," she said.

The project will track population recovery in real time and share updates publicly. Each species gets support from partners with specialized knowledge, working alongside the IUCN Species Survival Commission. Other species on the list include the bowmouth guitarfish, Hickory Nut Gorge green salamander, Australia's night parrot, and the Charco Azul pupfish.

The Ripple Effect

Saving these species does more than prevent extinction. When conservationists protect the golden-crowned sifaka, Andriamanana explained, they also protect drinking water sources for local communities and create ecotourism opportunities. "People and wildlife always thrived together; we only became disconnected, and now it is a homecoming," she said.

Lauren Sánchez Bezos, Vice Chair of the Bezos Earth Fund, emphasized the project's commitment to actual recovery, not just managing decline. "We know how to do this. We just have to stay committed long enough to see it through."

Yula Kepetanakos, Re:wild's senior manager for the project, believes this model of using substantial funding for lasting local change could transform wildlife conservation. "We have the tools we need to help these species," she said. "We just need to mobilize the resources."

One hundred species, 30 countries, and a real commitment to bringing them back.