DiCaprio and Bezos Team Up to Save 100 Endangered Species

Actor Leonardo DiCaprio and billionaire Jeff Bezos have joined forces to launch a $200 million project to help save some of the world's most endangered species. The effort, called the Phoenix Species Project, was announced on August 4. It will support recovery efforts for 100 critically endangered animals and plants in 30 countries around the world.

The money for the project comes from two main sources. Half — $100 million — will come from the Bezos Earth Fund, which is Jeff Bezos' environmental charity. The other $100 million will come from Re:wild, DiCaprio's conservation group, along with support from DiCaprio himself and a few other donors.

Organizers say the Phoenix Species Project is the largest single charity effort ever focused only on recovering critically endangered species. Unlike many conservation grants that last just a short time, this project will provide five years of steady funding for each species. That gives scientists and conservationists much more time and resources to actually help animal and plant populations grow back.

The project will use many different methods to help species survive and recover. These include breeding animals in safe facilities, moving species to better habitats, managing diseases, controlling invasive species, and restoring damaged ecosystems. The effort will also track how well each species is recovering over time and measure reductions in threats.

DiCaprio has been speaking out about the environment for many years. At the 2016 Academy Awards, after winning Best Actor for 'The Revenant,' he used his acceptance speech to warn the world about climate change. 'When we protect those species, we also protect the forests, wetlands, grasslands and oceans they depend on,' DiCaprio said in a statement on August 4.

The Phoenix Species Project will work with more than 100 partners around the world. These include local communities, Indigenous Peoples, scientists, and conservation groups. The project will also partner with the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Species Survival Commission, which is a global network of conservation scientists.

Some well-known and some lesser-known species will receive help through this project. Well-known animals include the Malayan pangolin, the pink land iguana of the Galápagos Islands, and the Visayan warty pig from the Philippines. Lesser-known species getting support include the night parrot, an elusive Australian bird once thought to be lost for nearly 150 years, and the Charco Azul pupfish, which became extinct in the wild after its freshwater habitat in Mexico disappeared.

Other species in the program include the golden-crowned sifaka, a lemur from Madagascar; the Hickory Nut Gorge green salamander, found only in a small canyon in North Carolina; and the bowmouth guitarfish, an ancient shark-like ray threatened by the global fin trade. Colombia's starry night harlequin toad, Tanzania's pancake tortoise, and Attenborough's long-beaked echidna from New Guinea are also on the list. 'The species on the brink of extinction are often the ones that anchor some of the world's most important ecosystems,' DiCaprio said.

The idea for the project started back in 2021. That year, DiCaprio and Re:wild co-founder Dr. Wes Sechrest met with Jeff Bezos and his wife Lauren Sánchez Bezos to talk about ways to protect endangered species. Those early conversations slowly grew into the full Phoenix Species Project we see today. 'Kids fall in love with animals before anyone tells them those animals are disappearing,' Lauren Sánchez Bezos said. 'One hundred species, 30 countries and a real commitment to bringing them back. Not managing their decline. Recovering them.'

However, the project is not without criticism. Some people point out that Amazon, the company Bezos founded, runs more than 900 data centers in over 50 countries. Data centers are large buildings that house computers and technology used to power the internet and artificial intelligence. They use enormous amounts of energy and water, which can harm the environment.

According to Amazon, its data centers used 2.5 billion gallons of water worldwide last year. Large data centers can use up to 5 million gallons of water per day — as much as a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people. Critics say this is a major environmental problem that makes Bezos' conservation efforts harder to fully celebrate. Amazon has said it is working to use water and energy more efficiently and to be a 'good neighbor' to the communities near its data centers.

Data centers can also hurt wildlife in other ways. Bright lights that run all night can disrupt the natural sleep and activity cycles of animals, confusing their migration patterns, feeding habits, and reproduction. Facilities that release heated water into nearby rivers or lakes can lower oxygen levels and stress fish and other wildlife. These concerns make some people question whether a company like Amazon can truly be a champion for the environment while also running such large and energy-hungry operations.