Leonardo DiCaprio and Jeff Bezos Are Teaming to Save Endangered Species With $200M Initiative

When Leonardo DiCaprio won a best actor Oscar in 2016, a moment that became the most viewed best actor speech on YouTube, he closed his remarks with a passionate plea about climate change and its impact on the environment. “Let us not take this planet for granted,” he said.

Ten years after that night, DiCaprio is furthering his fight to focus on the betterment of the planet by turning his attention to its most vulnerable creatures with the formation of the Phoenix Species Project, an initiative that launches with a $200 million commitment, making it one of if not the largest single philanthropic initiative dedicated “exclusively to the recovery of critically endangered species across taxonomic groups, a diversity of habitats and countries,” per the initiative. Half of the commitment comes from the Bezos Earth Fund and the other $100 million from Re:wild (co-founded by DiCaprio and Dr. Wes Sechrest) with support from DiCaprio himself, Age of Union and the Todd Graves Family Foundation.

The project will provide support to help recover 100 species facing imminent extinction. To accomplish that, they will work with Indigenous Peoples, local communities, scientists and conservationists by moving beyond short-term grants to sustained investment over multiple years, a strategy experts believe is key to keeping species alive. The project said it will track population recovery and threat reduction and report updates on its website and social media platforms.

About those species, the project has zeroed in on some 100 that span mammals, amphibians, reptiles, birds, fish, invertebrates and plants from 30 countries that live across a range of habitats. They will be working with more than 100 local and international partners around the world to help lead the recovery efforts, which are said to be tailored for each environment. It is being done in collaboration with the IUCN Species Survival Commission.

“For decades, scientists, Indigenous Peoples, local communities and conservation leaders have been on the front lines of protecting nature, and what has been made clear through research, is that species on the brink of extinction are often the ones that anchor some of the world’s most important ecosystems,” said DiCaprio in a statement. “When we protect those species, we also protect the forests, wetlands, grasslands and oceans they depend on. The Phoenix Species Project has the potential to drastically shift how we approach conservation and combat the climate crisis at a global scale. By creating the largest philanthropic initiative in history dedicated to the recovery of critically endangered species across continents, made possible by a transformative gift from the Bezos Earth Fund, we have an opportunity to make a lasting impact where it’s needed most. The goal is for the Phoenix Species Project to become a global movement that inspires others to invest in nature and help protect our planet.”

Though the launch announcement was made today, the project has been in the works for years. In conjunction with the news, Re:wild published the Phoenix Species Project’s origin story on its website. Per those details, in the spring of 2021, DiCaprio brought his Re:wild co-founder Sechrest with him to meet with Bezos and his then-girlfriend, now wife Lauren Sanchez Bezos, who serves as vice chair of the Bezos Earth Fund. Their chat focused on DiCaprio’s long-gestating ideas for how to protect endangered species and their habitats. The immediate fruits of that conversation led to Re:wild, the Bezos Earth Fund and nine other conservation philanthropies to launch the Protecting Our Planet Challenge. DiCaprio then continued to work on a best path forward for accomplishing the goal, work that eventually led to the formation of the Phoenix Species Project.

“Kids fall in love with animals before anyone tells them those animals are disappearing. Ask any 7-year-old about their favorite creature. It’s something wild. Something most adults have never heard of. What do we tell them when the night parrot or the golden-crowned sifaka isn’t there anymore to fall in love with? This project is our answer,” said Sánchez Bezos in a statement “One hundred species, 30 countries and a real commitment to bringing them back. Not managing their decline. Recovering them. That’s the whole difference. We know how to do this. We just have to stay committed long enough to see it through.”

The Phoenix Project offered details on the species that it will focus on, a group that includes the golden-crowned sifaka of Madagascar, ancient shark-like bowmouth guitarfish, a tiny desert succulent that is illegally harvested for the ornamental plant trade in western South Africa, tree-dwelling Hickory Nut Gorge green salamanders that live in a small canyon in North Carolina, Charco Azul pupfish, lost-and-found night parrots from Australia’s remote deserts and dry grasslands, and more.

“Leonardo DiCaprio is a good friend of mine and his vision as founder of Re:wild to protect endangered species, important ecosystems in partnership with Indigenous Peoples and local communities around the world inspired me to help in a meaningful way,” said Graves, founder of the Todd Graves Family Foundation. “The best investments are the ones that make a difference for generations to come, and that’s exactly what the Phoenix Species Project is doing. I’ve always said, ‘It’s not about what you make, it’s about what you give.’”