The “Re:wild” and “Bezos Earth Fund”, founded by Leonardo DiCaprio and Jeff Bezos, announced the launch of the Phoenix Species Project, under which $200 million will be allocated to save 100 animal species most at risk of extinction.
According to representatives of the organizations, this is the largest fund in history created to restore populations of species that are on the verge of extinction.
Leonardo DiCaprio has been working for many years on the idea of a large-scale international program designed to help species whose natural habitats and survival are threatened by climate change.
In 2021, DiCaprio, along with Re:wild co-founder and biologist and CEO Wes Secrest, met with Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his wife, Lauren Sanchez Bezos. Bezos heads the Bezos Earth Fund, and Lauren Sanchez Bezos is the foundation’s vice president.
This meeting began a series of consultations with local governments, conservation organizations, and indigenous peoples on how best to stop the decline of the most vulnerable species. These discussions became the basis for the creation of the Phoenix Species Project.
One of the main tasks of the project will be to secure long-term funding for conservation programs that have already proven their effectiveness, but until now have only worked thanks to short-term support.