Foundations funded and co-founded by Leonardo DiCaprio and Jeff Bezos have launched a $200 million initiative aimed at helping revive 100 of the world’s most threatened species, according to ABC News.
The project, called the Phoenix Species Project, is being led by DiCaprio’s Re:wild and the Bezos Earth Fund. The groups said Tuesday that the effort is the largest single fund ever dedicated exclusively to recovering critically endangered species.
The list of species includes animals such as endangered lemurs, salamanders, pangolins, pigs and echidnas. Among the examples cited are the Hickory Nut Gorge green salamander in North Carolina, the Visayan warty pig in the Philippines and the Malayan pangolin in Southeast Asia.
According to ABC News, DiCaprio has been working for years on the idea of a major effort to support species whose habitats and survival are threatened by climate change. The project grew out of discussions with governments, environmental groups and Indigenous communities about how to slow the decline of vulnerable species.
One grant recipient, Association Fanamby, said the funding and support could make a major difference for the golden-crowned sifaka, which the group has been trying to protect for years.
